Skin Deep
by Lovely Bullets
Summary: Sasuke, a photagrapher, falls hard for naruto, a giddy, crazy cellist with ADD that rooms with him in college. But what happens when his best friend neji goes after whats his, and he realizes naruto is more beautiful and sinister,than he seems?Sasunaru
1. Kiss of Hystria

Sasuke Uchiha had many morals in life, but one of the most important ones is this: only take beautiful pictures of beautiful things. Everything else is just ugly.

Sasuke had come from a wealthy family; he had everything, the unneeded popularity, the girls, the overpriced and also unneeded fancy car, expensive designer cloths, and everything you absolutely don't need in your whole short lifetime. But Sasuke only needed on thing to survive- his camera.

He remembered everything he went through to get his inexpensive Polaroid camera at age 11. His parents insisted only the best, only the 800dollar Nikon camera that strict professionals would use. Sasuke refused. Instead he walked to the small resale shop 12 blocks away, and bought a camera for 8.76 no tax. But it still puzzled him how far that cheap Polaroid took him. He took amazing pictures of anything, anywhere anytime. It dazzled everyone.

Even though Sasuke had a cold personality, an icy glare, and a rather cocky and sarcastic attitude, no one could sum up enough reasons not to idolize him. He always wore tight plain almost black, navy blue turtlenecks, sophisticated thick rim 'emo' glasses, black skinny jeans, and red chucks. His pale, paper white skin, black diamond eyes, slender tall figure, and bone straight jet black hair that stuck up in a j-rocker-ish style proved him in every aspect, of being a pure blood, straight laced, Japanese citizen. His Japanese accent masked every English word he said, and somehow made the American language irrevocably, damn right sexy. Even his occasional (and, in most situations his only) response of "Hn.", Could turn anybody on.

He was an almighty sex God… to the girls in high school anyway. And for them, the only way to be a sex Goddess was if you got you picture taken the one and only Uchiha himself.

And In high school, EVERYBODY wanted their picture taken by the photography prodigy. Everyone wanted that exact perfect angle and that flawless shading of the light that required absolutely no photo-shopping. He just had one rule- the subject had to be beautiful.

He never took a single snapshot of anyone in high school.

But now it was different.

He was in college.

Or at least he hoped it would be different.

He had made it into the famous, International School of the Finer Arts of London, nicked named VIOLON de DELUX or translated in English, that would be- DELUX VIOLIN. Though the majority of the students played a classical string interments (A/N:Violin, Viola XD woo!! I play viola! Cello, Bass, piano…) VIOLON de DELUX accepted 105 art majors every year, and Sasuke had just been one of the lucky 105 out of the whole campus's 3,000 students that attended. But of course, nobody was surprised when Sasuke got in, it was just… as Neji would say it, destiny.

_**********SCENE CHANGE*********_

The Uchiha's midnight black hummer limo literally flew through the autumn streets of London. Sasuke sat inside; Polaroid camera and book bag in hand, clinging to the seat cushions for dear life.

He growled loudly," Kakashi! Stop speeding! You're going to ruin the Uchiha reputation in London! It doesn't really matter, we'll just be a little late moving in."

Kakashi screeched the limo to a stop at the red light and glanced back to Sasuke," An Uchiha being late?" he grinned, "I didn't know you had a sense of humor young master Uchiha."

Sasuke frowned and pointed out the front window to the now green light. "Just shut up and drive…"

"Your wish is my command!" Kakashi, Sasuke's butler, gave a playful smile before turning his eyes to the road.

Sasuke sighed and tried to relax by looking outside the tinted bullet proof window at the passing scenery. Leaves with every color range between red and orange fell gently to the ground, flying everywhere when a car passed by them. The 18th century looking clock tower in the center of the square looked unbelievably stunning. Sasuke took out his camera and took a snapshot. Only true gothic aristocrats would understand its true beauty. He would have to print out the picture to give to Neji.

Neji Hyuga had been his best and only friend since 7th grade. He was just the right person to hang out with for Sasuke. He could just call Neji at three in the morning, not say a thing, and be happy. (A/N: sorry, but no yaoi is gonna go on with them…) Neji had also made it into VIOLON de DELUX, he was an art major, just like Sasuke, but instead of photography, he painted and sculpted.

Even though they were great friends and all, nobody could figure out why they were friends in the first place.

The Uchiha's are naturally loners, an anti-social clan of supernatural beauties that preferred to keep their stubborn ways concealed inside their frosted scowls.

The Hyuga's are a clan natural at socializing, and elegantly showcased their beautifully bizarre pale white eyes ,soft flowing dark chocolate hair, flawless features, and wisdom by standing proud keeping up with traditions.

They were completely different people in completely different worlds, yet somehow everything they did seemed the same.

Sasuke opened and dug around his book bag till he found his cell. He pressed speed dial #1.

"Ah! Uchiha, Hey. Where are you?" Sasuke could hear crowds of people's conversations along with some loud banging noises of rabid college students in the background of Neji's voice on his cell.

"Oh, well… I'm almost there…"

"Hhhmmm? You're not here already? Come on. You're always on time! You're not joking, are you?"

Sasuke pinched his temple. What's with this Uchiha reputation about being on time? It was seriously getting on his nerves.

"No. I have no sense of humor, remember?"

"Oh, right. I'm sorry I forgot…Anyway, you better get here soon, you can check out all of the competition… and their pretty good…" Sasuke could sense the twinge of worry in Neji's fading voice.

Blood slowly trickled down Sasuke's chin dripping right on to his navy blue turtle neck. Whenever Sasuke was nervous, he bit his lip subconsciously (and rather hard) till his entire mouth was dead numb and bleeding. Sasuke didn't like to admit it, but he was actually nervous about the rest of the 103 art majors at VD. (he didn't worry in competing with Neji, so he didn't count). Would he be able to compete? How many other photographers would be there? What about class? Could his laid back ways get him through?

Everybody always raved about how awesome all of Sasuke's photos were, but are they good enough?

Neji's voice then brought Sasuke back to reality," Sasuke? You there? Come on, better get here fast."

Just at that moment it came into view.

Kakashi chuckled," Well, here we are young master Uchiha!"

The enormous campus seemed just like a royal Victorian family's immortal kingdom that was suddenly just thrown into the middle of London. The main campus building stood tall, towering in the back round of the elaborate antique feeling college town houses. Hills threaded through, what seeming looked like small mansions, like a needle through soft comforting velvet.

Put in other words, it was absolutely breathtaking and life defying.

Sasuke tried not to squeal like a 3 year old girl on a cupcake, cookie, and soda sugar high at a sleepover party while he chewed on his black polished fingernail.

"Yeah, I'm here...I think" this was too unreal, too vivid to be in the same universe as 5 minutes ago. It gave him this omigod-I-think-i-just-wet-my-pants-but-i-don't-care kind of nostalgic felling, and sent a strange tremble down his spine, a feeling that stoic Uchiha's are not supposed to feel.

Neji then replied." Good. Meet me in the town home after you sign in. You have to meet our new housemates. They're fantastic."

Sasuke wasn't sure what neji's definition of 'fantastic' was suppose to mean.

That sent an all too familiar feeling to Sasuke's mind. He had almost forgotten he was staying in a town house with _other_ people than Neji.

He hated _other_ people. And most of all, meeting _other_ people

Sasuke frowned. "What are they like?"

"Oh, you'll see."

"Well, I can't really see them right now, can I?"

"Patience! That is the key"

Sasuke hated it when Neji sounded like his physiological therapist or some over the top yoga instructor. This was not the time.

"I suppose if you're not going to tell me I'll have to get over there."

Sasuke could actually almost see Neji grinning over the phone.

" I'll see you soon."

"yeah, I guess you will."

And with that, Sasuke pressed the red end button on his cell pad. This was going to be interesting.

_*********SCENE CHANGE************_

Sasuke turned the eloquently carved door knob to the town house. He hesitated. What if his housemates were total idiots, or really annoying? Even though Sasuke was an atheist, he prayed before he walked though the door.

Right then, in the middle of the door way, a hot cup of instant Raman was chucked right in his face, and I mean, _it was HOT._

Sasuke immediately dropped (more like spastically threw) his book bag, along with his Polaroid camera, and screamed.

"What the hell!!?? Who the fuck…? " All Sasuke could see and smell was Raman, disgusting, cheap Raman.

"AAHHH!! Oh my god man!! I'm so sorry!! I didn't mean to! It was Chouji!" a rough high pitched British accented voice damaged Sasuke's eardrums.

Great, he was housed with an idiot.

He then heard more voices, including neji's.

" Sasuke! What happened?!"

The idiot's voice answered. " Ehhhhhh… chouji did it!"

"did not!" a person protested.

"Did too!"

"nuh-uh!!"

Sasuke felt agitated. " Hello?! Person with hot Raman on his face! Little help?"

"oh." Another voice joined the conversation.

Sasuke felt a warm hand on his shoulder and paper towels being placed in his hands.

"Just ignore them" It was the newest voice, dark and low with a beautiful silky tone.

Sasuke wiped the broth and noodles away from his face to see his new house mates.

The person next to him with the paper towels had short bright red hair, jade eyes thickly outlined in black eyeliner, and all black gothic outfit. He looked Sasuke straight in the face with no emotion and then said, "I'm Gaara and I play cello."

Sasuke stood up straighter and replied." I'm Sasuke, and I'm a photographer…. And thanks for the paper towels."

Gaara nodded in return.

Sasuke looked up at the now awkwardly silent group of people.

One was a short skinny blonde boy with hypnotizing glossy marble blue eyes. Blue eyes like none other Sasuke had ever seen.3 fox-like marks that looked like tattoos were etched upon his pore less tan face giving him a mischievous but adorable look . He wore a tight orange shirt that had in bold blue writing 'crazy' on it, blue skinny jeans, and no shoes. When Sasuke's cold eyes meet his bright blue ones it was like electricity flowed between them. Sasuke felt that nostalgic feeling he had once before and immediately made up a plan.

_Oh, he is defiantly mine. I don't care if he's gay or not, but he's defiantly mine. All mine… _

Sasuke gave an inward smirk, he was Uchiha property now.

" Hi! I'm Naruto! And I play Cello too! But I also play piano on the side!!oh… and sorry about the Raman! It just sorta slipped…"

Sasuke mentally groaned. So this was the idiot? Damn it. He would have to rethink the whole 'Uchiha property' thing now.

Sasuke gave a low growl. " so it was you dobe?"

Naruto made a face. " Hey! I know what dobe means in Japanese!! Shut up you teme. I was trying to be nice!! You not the only one who has feelings!"

Sasuke glanced off the the side." Whatever…. Dobe."

Naruto raised his fist. "why I otta know you out!!! Don't underestimate me!!"

Neji put his arm in front of Naruto, holding him back some distance from Sasuke.

"Come on guys. Let's make this as painless as it can be all right?" Neji Gave a pleading look to all the people in the room.

Naruto surrendered to neji's proposition and put his fist down. " Fine. Jeez…" Naruto pouted while starring down at the pure white tile of the kitchen. And then, while Neji started gaving his lecture about peace and ying-yang_…*FLASH* Everyone's_ eye's found their way to Sasuke and his camera in hand.

Another house mate with bored eyes and a high brown ponytail in the back of the kitchen that nobody seemed to notice spoke up, " Uhhmmm… what the hell was that?"

Woops. It was just a habit Sasuke had. He takes pictures of beautiful things, and Naruto pouting like a baby was just so cute. Yes, even Sasuke had a soft side. But then again, Sasuke wasn't being soft at all; he was just doing his job. The blonde was beautiful, so he took a picture of him.

"oh… ummm… I was taking… a picture?" Sasuke really hated explaining himself.

"Of what?" Gaara Asked.

"Naruto."

"why?"

Sasuke bit his lip. "none of your business"

Neji tried to change the subject for Sasuke's sake. "Now, why don't we all introduce our self's to Sasuke?"

The boy in the back spoke up first. "Hi. I'm Shikamara, but just call me Shika. I play Viola… oh this is so troublesome…"

Another unnoticed boy sat in the corner of the kitchen with his earphones in, blaring classical music loud out of them. He then ripped them out." Yo! I'm Kiba. I play violin and soccer here!! Nice to meet ya Sasuke."

Sasuke thought he was civil enough (unlike Naruto). "nice to meet you too."

Then there was the boy with his face buried in the old yellow fridge behind the counter. He raised up his chubby face up and said with a mouth full of cake, " namf ifsh Chojif."

Naruto laughed. "I think what he meant was ' hey my name is Chouji'."

"uhhuhh!" chouji agreed.

Neji gave everyone a warm smile. " I think its going to be a wonderful year with you guys."

"Me too! For everybody! Except teme that is, I've only known him 30 minutes and I think he's already a weirdo." Naruto gave a warm foxy grin toward Neji.

Neji gave a nervous laugh. " Sasuke isn't that bad once you get to know him, here, hold on, I'll show you some photos he gave me, they're amazing"

Neji swiftly turned towards naruto's direction. His long arms then accidentally bumped into naruto's small figure on his way past him.

"EEEEEEAAAKKK!!!!" naruto's small fragile body fell from neji's unintentional push causing his ankle twist as he toppled over into Sasuke's broad chest, causing them to both to crash to the floor, causing one other thing to happen…

A kiss.

Naruto's unimaginably soft pink lips crushed into Sasuke's cold comforting ones, as they rolled across the carpet. This made every idiotic thing that Naruto had done to him in their short meeting utterly meaningless. It was like getting married, winning the lotto, being in paradise, and sitting in a comfy fluffy lounging chair while being given a lap dance all being combined in 8 sort seconds on an antique Victorian prince's carpet floor in a college town house. Sasuke could feel Naruto's struggling form to get out form under him, heat radiating from both their bodies, the pleasure in his lower area, his heart about to go into cardiac arrest, and most all, he could feel that romantic sappy feeling he got when he secretly watched soap operas online. A feeling he wished he could feel for somebody someday.

Yeah, it was that good of a feeling.

Naruto managed to knee Sasuke in the gut, causing him to roll of his fighting form and Sasuke to cringe.

"MOUTH RAPIST!! " He screamed.

Sasuke pretended to not care.

" Shut up. It was an accident"

By the time Sasuke said that, everyone in the townhouse had given into hysteria, laughs bounced of the wall, making Sasuke uncharacteristically blush.

" Accident my ass!!!"

"look lets just forget it." Sasuke was in no mood for pleading.

Naruto pouted making Sasuke's nose almost bleed.

" fine, but lets just make this clear, I'm only bi, and I lean towards girls, so… even though you might be good looking, I have no feelings towards you!"

Sasuke gave a devilish smirk. He could see the lie of that statement written all over Naruto's cute face.

Oh, yes, this was going to be a very interesting year.

***END OF CHAPTER ONE***

Yaaaaayyyy!! Thank you for reading * bows* please tell me how I did! Im only 13 yrs. Old, and im sorta new to this fanfic thing, so please, I would appreciate tips!! I would also like **10 reveiws** before I move on to chap. 2! I hope its not too much to ask for! Also, I would like some help with this decision:

Will Garra develop a crush for :

Naruto

Neji

Sasuke

And also,

Should Itachi be introduced in the fic?

I love to have some help!

Arigatou!!

_**~ LOVELY BULLETS**_


	2. Raves and Death sticks

Review Replies:

Reficular: Thank you very much! one of the reasons I put in Sasuke gnawing on his lip was to sorta show how his strong cold personality has some cracks in it ( and I like blood …). I'm not the best at conventions, so I'll try to do my best with that.

Only4you: deciding weather Gaara is uke or seme is hard!! But since u asked for him to be seme, ill make him that for u ^_^ and im thinking itachi will come in ( but way later )

Cocoa mocha: hhhhhmmmmm… I guess too many people falling for Naruto would be really unrealistic ( im trying to make this as real as my crazy hormonal teenage brain will let me) ill take your comment into account!!

KokoXKonoha: ^_^ thanks

Thanks for everyone that added an Alert or a fav.!! (It boosts up my confidence as a writer!!! Hooray!) I really appreciate it! Since I got 4 reviews and 6 alerts, which adds up to ten, I've decided to upload!!

******************

(A week has passed since Sasuke moved in)

(_Go on)_

Innocence  
Sunk the glow and drowned in covers  
Send for all your absent lovers things

Sheepish wolves  
Looking lived-in, eating buttons  
Wink, just don't put your teeth on me

(Go on)

Accidents  
Let the evening in the back door  
Filled the room  
Ceiling to the floor

Beat backbones  
Grazed the poem and made it strange  
I wasn't born to be a skeleton  


Sasuke buried his head underneath his black cotton pillow. Who the hell was Playing Panic at the Disco music at 5 am? This is college. People don't just magically wake up early for no reason. Classes didn't start for one more week (because everyone moved in early) and Sasuke was already stressed at the end of 1st week he had with his house mates. Oh, the trauma…

_(Go on)_

Go on, grab your hat and fetch a camera  
Go on, film the world before it happens  
Go on, grab your hat and fetch a camera  
Go on, film the world before it happens

(Go on)

Jealous orchard  
The sky is falling off the ceiling  
While I'm tucking fibs into a cookie jar

{Bombed} reverie  
It's useless searching in the cupboards  
When everything you have is on your back  


ok… Sasuke was really pissed off by now. There is absolutely no reason to play music that loud this early!! Sasuke threw the covers off of his comfy body in the expensive mattress and swung his legs out. His hair looked of that of a mad man, and the dark bags under his eyes screamed ' im a person who desperately needs more sleep, a maximum security straight jacket, and a _Homicide for Dummies _book to guide me on how to beat the living shit out of you'. 

Sasuke Uchiha is not a morning person.

But the music kept playing anyway.

_  
(Go on)  
Go on, grab your hat and fetch a camera  
Go on, film the world before it happens  
Go on, grab your hat and fetch a camera  
Go on, film the world before it happens  
_

_(Go on)  
Go on, grab your hat and fetch a camera  
Go on, film the world before it happens  
Go on, grab your hat and fetch a camera  
Go on, film the world before it happens  
_

_(Go on)  
Film the world before it happens  
Film the world before it happens  
Film the world before it happens…_

" turn that shit down Naruto!!" Someone else was experiencing the same pain as sasuke, screamed across the house. It was Shika.

The lyrical nonsense of a song immidiatly snapped off, and got replaced by Naruto's voice screaming back for everyone underneath their bed sheets to hear.

" What if don't wanna shika??!!! Huh?! Come and do somethin' 'bout it punk!!"

Sasuke glared into open was Naruto so anixous to start a damn fight? If a fight was what he wanted, shouldn't somebody give it to him?

Yes, somebody should definatly give it to him.

Sasuke stumbled out of his bedroom, following the string of cuss words being shouted for the whole campus to hear.

He slammed open Naruto's door, his eyes wide with anger.

Naruto sat on the floor, CD's thrown about every where, looking up suprizinly in scilence with his sky eyes.

"Haaaahaaahaa…. Well, funny seeing you here isn't it?"

Sasuke flexed his shoulder muscles and cracked his knuckles.

" Yeah, really funny…"

Naruto scooted further way, trying to get as far away from the menacing figure as fast as possile. He had to come up with a way not to get the living shit beat out of him.

And then, the perfect plan came to his mind.

_Bingo!_

He quickly pressed the forward button on his boombox. Panic at the disco played again, but a different song…

Bright techno blared out vibrating the whole room.

_Well, she's not bleeding on the ballroom floor  
Just for the attention.  
Cause that's just ridiculously on.  
Well, she sure is gonna get it  
Here's the setting  
Fashion magazines line the walls now  
The walls line the bullet holes  
_

Naruto got to his feet and held out his small hand then sincerely said," Forgive, forget, and care for a dance?"

Sasuke's heart melted. How could he resist? But of course, his ego was too big for agreeing… at first anyway.

Sasuke crossed his arms. "Dancing? really? Would I really dance with a dobe like you?"

Naruto gave a rejected painful look toward Sasuke. "Well I… just thought…. M-Maybe we c-c-could find a way to get along… and you look like you haven't… had some f-fun… in awhile." He nervously stuttered and twiddled his fingers.

Sasuke's expression softened. Maybe the dobe really wanted to be friends. It was true Sasuke hadn't had fun in a long time but… what about the Uchiha reputation? Sasuke's older brother had warned him about the Uchiha business impression around the world. The Uchiha's ran a large business corp. seeming everywhere. And when ever a business person meets an Uchiha, there were always the same 4 words to describe them:

Serious

Self-indulged

Genius

Emotionless

Never was a different word used.

What if Naruto used his loud mouth telling everyone in sight that the youngest Uchiha heir was a softy and liked to dance?

…

Aw whatever, screw the Uchiha's ego.

_Have some composure  
Where is your posture?  
Oh, no, no  
You're pulling the trigger  
Pulling the trigger  
All wrong  
_

_Have some composure  
Where is your posture?  
Oh, no, no  
You're pulling the trigger  
Pulling the trigger  
All wrong  
_

Sasuke placed an uninsured hand in Naruto's.

It was so warm.

Naruto gave a foxy grin of appreciation. "Its time to dance!!!"

Naruto twisted his hips casually, mouthing the words of the song while he energetically tried to get Sasuke to bounce up and down with him.

Kiba ran into the room. "I love this song! Rave Party!!!" Kiba joined in the strange revelry.

Sasuke accidentally let a laugh slip. Despite that dancing didn't fair too well in the Uchiha genes, he was actually having fun. His skin felt bizarrely good holding naruto's eager hand.

He also liked seeing Naruto smile.

He had never met anybody who he could have actual _fun_ with until now.

Then seemingly in 15 seconds, everyone in the house had found their way to Naruto's room and had gone wild with the 'rave party'.(A /N: I know its hard to imagine 7 Naruto characters dancing wildly to Panic at the Disco, but plz bear with me.)

_Give me envy, give me malice, give me a-a-attention  
Give me envy, give me malice, baby, give me a break!  
When I say "Shotgun", you say "Wedding"  
"Shotgun", "Wedding", "Shotgun", "Wedding"  
_

_She didn't choose this role  
But she'll play it and make it sincere  
So you cry, you cry  
(Give me a break)  
But they believe it from the tears  
And the teeth right down to the blood  
At her feet _

All the bodies in the room were sweaty.

_  
Boys will be boys  
Hiding in estrogen and wearing Aubergine dreams  
(Give me a break)  
_

Naruto and Sasuke's noses touched as they grinned nonchalantly at each other.

_Have some composure  
Where is your posture?  
Oh, no, no  
You're pulling the trigger  
Pulling the trigger  
All wrong  
_

Naruto smirked. "Hey, do you want to go out sometime?" his hands were still in Sasuke's, and now they were both swaying back and forth to the feverish beat.

Sasuke smirked back." A date?"

Naruto's already flushed and sweaty cheeks blushed. "No."

"Oh, then, no thanks"

"hmm? You want it to be a date?"

"Yes."

"WHY?!"

"So I can do this without having to pretend it's an accident…."

"wha-"

Sasuke's lips lightly pressed on Naruto's. It felt better than before. It wasn't rushed, it wasn't by accident, and it wasn't painful. It was just right.

Innocent and sweet.

Naruto's hand squeezed Sasuke's even harder than before as his eyelashes began to flutter. A weird freakish romantic feeling had taken over.

Their mouths broke apart.

"Want it to be a date now?"

"Yes… Yes I do!"

Kiba who was across the bedroom watching the pair rolled his eyes "Oh god… Get room."

Naruto playfully stuck out his tong at him. "Don't hate!"

_Have some composure  
Where is your posture?  
Oh, no, no  
You're pulling the trigger  
Pulling the trigger  
All wrong  
_  
Neji who preferred to stay silent this whole time spoke up. "Shouldn't you guys do stuff like kissing some where else?"

"No. I think here is just fine." Sasuke replied.

"Oh, well please don't do that kinda gay stuff around me"

Sasuke snarled. "I'm sorry… I just forgot you were an anti-homosexual metrosexual guy who's gay best friend his clearly attractive to your manhood…"

Neji turned red. "Shut up!!"

Sasuke always had fun playing with Neji. "You can't deny the truth…"

Gaara who was tapping his foot in the corner now joined the conversation. "Neji is… anti-homo?"

Neji quickly snapped his neck toward Gaara. "Well… I'm a very religious Christian so I… believe marriage should be between a man and a woman. I didn't mean to offend you, if you're gay that is"

Gaara's already stiff face began look like concrete.

"Oh… ok… ummm…bye."

He quickly ran out of the door… leaving the rest of the college boys confused.

_Come on this is screaming "Photo op." op…  
Come on  
Come on  
This is screaming  
This is screaming  
This is screaming "Photo op."_

Boys will be boys, baby  
Boys will be boys  
Boys will be boys, baby  
Boys will be boys

Give me envy, give me malice, give me a-a-attention  
Give me envy, give me malice, baby, give me a break!  
When I say "Shotgun", you say "Wedding"  
"Shotgun", "Wedding", "Shotgun", "Wedding"  


Neji had a worried expression. "Did I do something?"

Naruto sighed. "You most likely made him mad…"

"Oh crap"

"Don't worry; his tantrums have really tined down since I've known him."

"How long is that? A week?"

"No! He's been my bet friend since I was 12!! I know quite a lot about him too!"

"Ok, well if you're so bright, why did he storm off like that?"

Naruto gave him a quizzical glare. "Isn't it obvious?"

"No, it's not."

_Boys will be boys  
Hiding in estrogen and boys will be boys  
Boys will be boys  
Hiding in estrogen and wearing Aubergine dreams_

"Gaa-chan has a crush on you!!!!"

***************Scence Change??***********

_*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* _Neji's forehead slammed against the breakfast table as his face expression worsened.

"Why…." _*BANG!*_ "Would…" _*BANG!*_ "Anybody even…" _*BANG!*_ "Want to…" _*BANG!*_ "Be my…" _*BANG!*_ "Boyfriend?!!!" Neji Said between forehead smashing.

Naruto took a seat at the table, and sincerely looked down on neji's bending form. " Ya know, you don't have to beat yourself up about this… Gaara just went away for a nice walk around campus to clear his mind!"

_*BANG!*_ Neji rested his cheek on the cold wooden table, sighed and looked up at Naruto. "You're an absolutely horrible liar."

Naruto's bright, straight shoulders then slouched. "Yeah you're right… He's probably off somewhere in a dark ally smoking…"

"Why is he so sensitive?"

Naruto looked of in the distance of the kitchen, looking at nothing particular, but defiantly not into neji's creamy eyes.

"Well, he's… I guess he was just born that way?"

Neji sighed again." You're such a horrible liar."

"What?! I wasn't lying that time!! I really don't know!"

"Oh, well, I guess I know that there's something more… deeper I think."

Naruto now seemed interested, and leaned in closer. " Deeper as in…?"

"I really wish I knew."

Naruto leaned back on one leg if the old chair, and stared up at the off-white ceiling thoughtfully.

"Just don't kill yourself over it ok? Gaara will just come back after smoking a few cigs, have a therapy session with me, and everything will be handy dandy again!"

Neji couldn't help but smile because of Naruto's way of trying to cheer him up.

It obviously worked. And very well too.

Neji lifted his face off the table. "Speaking of cigs, I think I want one right now. Wanna join me outside?"

"Sure."

Naruto and Neji walked out the house door, and sat on a bench right next to the antique building.

Cigarette smoke whirled in the air, twisting like a small tornado of doubt. Neji inhaled the addicting nicotine into his lungs, and slowly exhaled in the corner of his mouth.

He shook the small open box toward Naruto. "Want one?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't smoke dead sticks, they can really kill you"

Neji gave a sad laugh. "I'd like to see God try."

"Try what? To kill you?"

"Yep."

"You're a confusing man…"

"So is Sasuke, but you still like him…"

"And I still like you!"

"Enough to give me a kiss?"

"Yes! And I wou- hey! Wait a minute, Sasuke said you were straight!!"

Neji's neck stiffened. He couldn't look away from Naruto's eyes. His subconscious wouldn't let him.

_Move god damn it move!!_

"Well I'm…" Just then the muscles in his neck let him loose. "I'm sorry; I have to go somewhere right now." He looked down on his watch, pretending to be surprised at the time. He nervously smiled at Naruto, and then ran.

He didn't really know were to go, he just knew he had to go away.

*********************END OF CHAPTER 2***************

**Thank you for reading. Just like last chapter, I would like 10 reviews before I continue on to chap.3 I already have to many things planed out!!! And I haven't even really introduced Kiba or everybody's musical talents!! Oh my goodness, I can't wait _**

**Plz Read&REVIEW!!!**

**LOVLEY BULLETS**


	3. On Fire

Only4you: hahaha… XD I'm glad I lit up your day!!! Don't worry, Sasuke is in this chappie!!!

Mr. Toppy Ton: Yeah, I sorta feel myself rushing a bit. But after a failed fanfic attempt, I realized that to get more reviews, you sorta

gotta go fast to get to the juicy parts ;)

_Tick. _

_Tock._

_Tick. _

_Tock. _

The clock that hung high on Sasuke's wall laughed dry in his face, literally. He cringed. Why did Neji have to run away? What was he trying to hide? If anyone should be running away, it should be him. Already not even a full 2 weeks into college and he had already been mixed up in love troubles.

He hated love troubles, and most of all drama. That's why the moment Gaara walked out the door; he had locked himself up in his room. This had all happened too fast, just a rush of new information crammed into Sasuke's brain in such a short time. It seemed unreal, like some sort of stupid fangirly fan fiction…

All he could do was listen and look up at the plastic clock ticking loud, breaking into the uncomfortable aura floating around in his mind.

Sasuke's head hurt. He closed his eyes in agony.

_Damn it… the aspirins are in the kitchen… aaaaaaaahhhh… I don't wanna go there… just more drama…_

A loud knock on his wooden bedroom door interrupted Sasuke's thoughts.

"Uh, hey, can I come in?! Please? I swear I'm not trying to annoy you!" Naruto's voice traveled through the cracks of the wood.

Sasuke's headache got bigger, but his mind couldn't sum up words to deny the request.

"Uh…sure…" Sasuke got up from his bed, undid the lock, and opened the door to see Naruto giving him a full toothed smile. His headache actually got a little smaller.

Naruto held up his bow and Full sized cello, a little taller than him (only with the end pin out though), with a bright orange shiny coat of gloss. "I've come to soothe your troubled soul~!!!"

Sasuke couldn't catch the humor in Naruto's voice.

"Soothe?"

"Yes!!"

"With what? A cello?"

"Why of course!"

Sasuke slammed the door in Naruto's face. He was in no mood for wild blondes, especially ones with crappy cellos.

"Go away."

"Well that was ruuuuddddeee!!! ASSHOLE!!!"

Sasuke swung open the door with anger. "I am in no mood for crappy cello players with ADD"

"I'm not crappy! There's a reason I got a scholarship here! And I don't have ADD…"

Naruto pushed through Sasuke's slouching figures and ran into his room. The chair in his room scratched the wooded floor as he dragged it with his foot closer to him. He took a seat and got situated with his cello.

A slight sigh escaped Sasuke's thin lips. He really didn't have a thing for string interments. He had no idea what was so good about them; maybe he would change his mind soon enough. He walked back to his bed and collapsed into it face down. He didn't bother to look back at Naruto, who was getting his cello tuned by turning complicated knobs he didn't understand. He heard Naruto clear his throat loudly and crack his neck.

"Ok, would you like some improvisation, Bach, Vavaldi, or Mozart?"

Sasuke rolled over in his bed on his side face Naruto. "Uhn…"He groaned. This was so boring.

Naruto smiled. "OK! I'll take that as improvisation!"

His blue eyes then gently closed. His small fingers slid up and down the black finger board, and his lips moved, mouthing words Sasuke couldn't read.

_Inhale_

Naruto's chest moved up as he slowly took a deep breath.

_Exhale_

The pure white string of the bow pressed against the strings of glorious metal. Beautiful chords echoed through the thin walls of Sasuke's room and his fingers moved vigorously up and down the fingerboard with vibrato, playing the most awesome sound Sasuke had ever heard.

Sasuke's eyes widened with surprise as he looked up at Naruto's face. It was so serine. Like a sleeping angle… he really wished he had his camera in hand right now.

_Music really is better than it sounds. _

The notes Naruto slowly slurred together seemed effortless, like a flawless dance motion that not even gravity could pull down. The jazzy beats and chords Naruto played seem relaxing, like lying in a sunflower patch staring up at a cloudless blue sky.

A sky the color of Naruto's eyes.

His beauty was incomparable at that exact moment.

And also, at that exact moment, he realized he knew nothing about the real Naruto.

He had no idea where he was from, his last name, or even his favorite color.

He knew absolutely nothing.

He had desired Naruto for his beauty, the photogenic smile that scarred his face so innocently he didn't realize it. Sasuke's faint smile faded to blankness. His heart wouldn't let Naruto go though, instead he was determined to get to know the real Naruto, the one that lays beneath the smooth tanned porcelain face and marble eyes.

And maybe, if Sasuke was lucky, Naruto could get to know the real Sasuke too.

Naruto finished his musical phrase, letting the silence take over as the last note finished.

"Now, that wasn't so bad was it?"

"No. it wasn't"

"Did you like it?"

"I loved it."

Naruto's eyes glistened with excitement. "You mean it?!"

Sasuke had no idea what to say. "Hn."

"OH! THANK YOU!!!" Naruto jumped up (nearly breaking his cello in the process) from his chair and ran into Sasuke's chest, embracing him a hug, making them both crash into Sasuke's soft bed.

Sasuke's uncharacteristic blush took over his cheeks again.

Then he remembered.

"Um… Naruto?"

Naruto looked up at him. "Hmm?"

"What's your… favorite color?"

"Why, Orange of course!"

"oh."

"You don't like orange?" Naruto gave Sasuke a humorous pout face.

Sasuke smirked back. "Yes. I think navy blue is more mature"

"Really?!"

Sasuke nodded.

"Hmmp! What do you know about maturity anyway?" Naruto got up form their embrace and got on all fours facing Sasuke. He reached up towards Sasuke's face, and took off his black thick rim glasses. "You probably just wear these for show! Now how mature is that?!"

"No! Give it back. I can't see with out them" Sasuke reached out his hand toward Naruto's direction and waved his hands, hopelessly trying to find his glasses.

All he could see was a blonde and tan blur, in Fact, and beautiful blur. But it didn't matter if it was beautiful or not, Sasuke needed his glasses back. He needed them to take pictures. And if he didn't get them back fast, the fragile frames would probably break under Naruto's playful grasp. That would _not_ be beautiful.

"Hold on! Lemme try 'em on!" Sasuke could already envision the grin on Naruto's face.

The tan and blonde blur sudden got a black blotch added in.

"I look sophisticated, right?"

"Give me my glasses back and I'll tell you,dobe. " Sasuke's voice had a very annoyed tone to it.

"fine!"

Naruto's warm hands touched Sasuke's cool skin as he gently placed his glasses back on his agitated face.

For some weird reason, Sasuke wanted them to stay there.

Naruto looked off into the distance as he rolled over and sat beside Sasuke. "What to do now?"

"Tell me about… yourself."

Naruto gave Sasuke a perplexed look. "You want to know about me?"

"Hn." Sasuke gave Naruto a agreeing nod.

"But… nobody ever wants to know…" Naruto's face a strange expression; like he was remembering something he didn't want to.

Like a flash back to an unwanted memory.

"But if you don't want to…"

Naruto snapped out of his trance. "No! I'm just surprised. Most people think I'm too dumb or incoherent to have a real life, or have any reasonable human feelings, like I'm imaginary friend or something. It just hurts to remember sometimes…" A sad smile over took Naruto's lips. It was a foreign smile, one that Sasuke had never seen before.

Sasuke wrapped his arm around Naruto's neck. "My situation is just the opposite."

Naruto gave a questioning look back. "How so?"

Sasuke took a deep breath before his sentence to prepare. "Well, since everybody knew I was rich, handsome, smart, and talented, they thought of my life as some big Drama TV show. Like I had the world dancing on my finger tips. I actually wanted to be imaginary. Everybody was so caught up in what I was, than who I was. They all knew Uchiha-san. But that's not me. I'm just… Sasuke. I had so many people around me, but I had never felt lonelier in my life in high school… I just wish none of this 'reputation' or 'ego' stuff mattered…" Sasuke was actually shocked with himself. He had _never_ talked to anybody with that long of a time. He had _never_ told anybody about his feelings this deeply, not even Neji.

Naruto looked into his gaze, entranced in his thoughts. "I guess we both know what it's like to be lonely…"

Sasuke's grip moved from around Naruto's neck to his waist. There were so many things he wanted to talk about now.

Naruto and Sasuke talked for hours, talking about every aspect of their beliefs and interest.

All was up for discussion, except for the past.

Sasuke felt whole, like the chip in his shoulder had never been there in the first place. He couldn't believe Naruto was a living, breathing, beautiful person that actually understood him. Naruto was no longer an annoying blonde with ADD, he was a best friend. A best friend with whose friendship with was on fire. And Sasuke watched as this friendship slowly melted away Naruto's and his mask, revealing each other openly into the solid air.

Sasuke had no headache anymore; Naruto had cured it and made it seem as nonexistent as ever, and his smile made all the worries in the small college house meant nothing… nothing at all.

Sasuke Uchiha was in love. Even before the first date.

**END OF CHAP.3**

************PREVEIW OF CHAP. 4 ***************

Neji handed Gaara his tall cup of black coffee as he took a big bite out of his apple cinnamon muffin. Neji gave Gaara a small smile. Gaara quickly turned his head down to the coffee shop's black and white tiled floor.

A sigh came out of neji's mouth. It had just been his _lucky day. _Why did he have to run into Gaara now, out of all times?

After running for so fast for so long, Neji had just got hungry, so, he stopped in the coffee shop nearby, and of course, sitting right there at a depressing looking table all by him self, was Gaara. When his pale purple eyes met Gaara's jade ones, there was the same expression on both of their faces…

_**********************_

**Thanks for the reviews guys!! This chapter was probably the most fun to write so far .I hope you will continue to read my story and keep reviewing. what do you think of the preview? What should happen between Neji and Gaara?_ I can't decide!! I would still appreciate advice and tips for improving my writing! Thanks again everybody**_!!_

**~LOVELY BULLETS**


	4. Rain Drops and Lost Friends

Hey guys! sorry for the slow update. My old computer with all the chapter files broke down!! I had to type up chapter 4 ALL OVER AGAIN. I hope you like this freshly written chappie.

***CHAPTER 4***

Neji handed Gaara his tall cup of black coffee as he took a big bite out of his apple cinnamon muffin. Neji gave Gaara a small smile. Gaara quickly turned his head down to the coffee shop's black and white tiled floor.

A sigh came out of Neji's mouth. It had just been his _lucky day. _Why did he have to run into Gaara now, out of all times?

After running for awhile, Neji had got hungry, so, he stopped in the coffee shop nearby on campus, and of course, sitting right there at a depressing looking table all by himself, was Gaara.

When his pale purple eyes met Gaara's jade ones, there was the same expression on both of their faces- Oh Hell no...

But there could be no turning back, the awkward silence and strange looks had already set in and Neji's feet had already decided to make a move toward Gaara's lonely table without an afterthought.

There was no speaking involved; on Gaara's part anyway. He simply nodded to every word Neji said.

"Do you want some... coffee?"

Gaara nodded.

"Have you been here the whole time?"

Gaara nodded.

Neji got Gaara some black coffee and himself a apple cinnamon muffin, which leads to Neji thinking about what a lucky day it had been for him... They were just sitting there, staring at each other with uneasy breaths.

He had no idea what to say to Gaara.

How's life? So, why did you run away anyway? Are you really gay? Are you at least a little Christian? Buddhism? Atheist? anything? Did you know I'm like a religious freak and that my best friends and atheist? Did you? Have I already asked you how's life? Wanna know how my life is going? Yes? No? blah, I'm sounding like a hyper active crack head of some sort, aren't I? Oh gosh... and I think of questions to ask him again? Uuuuuhhhggg... to many racing thoughts... My physiological life is a mess...

"Are you ok?" Gaara's low voice stopped Neji's racing thoughts.

Neji looked at him across the table blankly." Oh... well I suppose so."

Squeaky converse rubbed against the tile floor nervously as Gaara's eyes moved away from Neji's face. He then quickly summed up more courage to speak. "Would you like to go outside?"

"Yes. I need a cig."

They stepped outside and leaned on the coffee shop's brick wall. It was much more comfortable there than anywhere in the shop.

Neji stuck a cigarette between his lips and took out his lighter to light the bud. His chest smoothly moved up as he took his first nicotine enhanced breath, the smoke then escaped out the corner of his mouth slowly. He looked over a Gaara who was staring at his reflection in his coffee cup.

Gaara could sense Neji's lingering mind nearby." I was heartbroken... that you didn't remember..."

Neji could feel his mind stop processing everything except Gaara's words. He dropped his muffin and he almost forgot how to breath," H-Heartbroken? I'm sorry but... I'm not gay."

There was a long silence.

A sudden thunder crashed through the unsuspecting sky. It started to rain. The raindrops had caressed Gaara's soft cheeks and had started to soak his clothes. The only thing that signaled disappointment was his frown and dim eyes, there was no way to tell if he was crying or if it was just the hammering rain. Th

Gaara spoke," I'm not talking about that...it's something more important."

No reply could be retaliated.

_**What's**__ more important? _

"I've only known you for 2 weeks!"

"Do you even know what you're saying?"

"Of course I do! now tell me! I can't stand these awkward silences!"

Gaara now had a fierce look in his eyes.

"You're a douche bag for not remembering you first kiss... or your first best friend."

Neji felt like just laying in the middle of the road after that. Getting run over by an eighteen-wheeler sounded just great right then.

His mind just suddenly recalled everything...

He couldn't believe it. It _was him. _His first best friend, his first pen pal, the first person to meet in his first trip to London at age 7.

Gaara was a forgotten friend. Neji met him at a daycare while he was dragged along on his father's business trip way back through the years. They became instant friends, meeting each other at the same daycare for 5 hours a day for about 2 months. They wrote letters to each other till they were both 11 or 12, they stopped mainly because Neji's letter got lost in the mail. Either way, they both knew they had longed to see each other for years, they both were just too guarded to admit it.

Gaara was still waiting for a reply. "Well?"

"I'm... you're...we're... can I... at least have a hug? As old friends?"

For the first time, the edges of Gaara's lips curved upward and his dark jade eyes became livid.

Finally, there was no more awkward silences between them. Just the sound of liquid diamond beating on both of the boys backs and Gaara's voice saying, "Nice that you finally remember."

"Yeah."

but Neji's mind still lingered as they broke apart. Neji couldn't remember a **kiss.**

****** CHAPTER END******

**Hey guys! Hope you liked it. Please REVIEW! I'm only in my teens, and I would really like some advice from experienced writers and critiques too. Thanks for reading. **

**~LOVELEY BULLETS**


	5. Bleeding for you

It was time. The dreaded time of meeting new professors, writing notes like a maniac, practicing like you have a severe case of OCD, complaining about exams, and studying like your life depends dearly on it. Yeah... it was time for class.

Everything had somehow worked out: Gaara and Neji came back after the rain had cleared and became best friends once again, Naruto and Sasuke liked each over very very very much , Shikamaru was still lazy, Chouji still ate all the cake, and Kiba was still on the soccer team as a Striker ( that's the person in front who scores most goals.).

But no first date for Naruto and Sasuke yet. And it was really getting on Sasuke's nerves. It wouldn't leave him alone. He wanted to take Naruto out for a nice dinner, and pull out his chair for him, and the whole four-play thing. Like a real date. Not those kinds in high school that consisted of going bowling, getting drunk then hooking up.

It seemed there was never enough was never enough time, always something going on. Naruto had to visit his grandma, Naruto had to practice Cello, Naruto had to eat his ramen ( which Sasuke still loathed.), Naruto had to hang out with Gaara, Naruto had to lecture Sasuke on smoking, Naruto had to clean, Naruto had to blast his stereo, Naruto had to oversleep, Naruto had to blah blah blah blah....

Sasuke couldn't help but stare at Naruto as they walked to class together, well, they didn't have any classes together but their classes were close to each other.

Naruto stared back at Sasuke. "Why are you staring at me like that? It's creepy."

Sasuke looked off to the side then. " Oh, I was just wondering... when's that date coming?"

Naruto sighed. " I told you, when we both have some free time."

"Like that'll ever come..."

"Sa-su-ke!!!! You know it's not like I don't want to."

A smirk appeared on Sasuke's face. He loved it when Naruto said his name in syllables. It seemed uke-ish and sorta sexy in an innocent way. It made everything ok for the moment. He just needed his daily dosage of Naruto to make his eagerness a little bit more sustainable. all those moments just made him want to get out his camera and take endless snap shots.

_I guess I could wait a bit more..._

_******************_

They arrived then at Naruto's class building, Musical Theory ( that's the class where you learn the mathematical side of music.). Sasuke walked Naruto up the steps to the front door.

" See you after class!" Naruto said.

"Yeah, sure" Sasuke bent down to Naruto's eye level and let his lips brush against cheek, still coated with baby fat. They suddenly turned pink and warm. his hand brushed through Naruto's golden locks that were brightened by the sun. Sasuke pulled away.

Fidgeting with his fingers like a little girl with a crush on a heart throb, Naruto stammered with what to say, " I uhhh... Well I guess I should..."

Sasuke put his long pale finger in Naruto's closed lips. "Just go to class. Ok? "

A cheesy smile appeared on Naruto's face. "Ok!" He gave a that kind of innocently sexy wave goodbye then walked through the sturdy woody door into the auditorium.

Sasuke stayed behind, staying still in the exact spot he had. He was surprised Naruto was still so shy. After that seemingly 5 hour talk they had and a lot of time together, he thought they would be way past that whole blushing fidgety giggly stage.

But then again, there was that first date blockade.

Sasuke deciding to spare himself, dropped it, and went to his class building next door.

*******************************

Kiba was at soccer practice.

Chouji was doing whatever he did.

Shika was off in the Library.

Naruto was in class.

Sasuke was in class.

The college house seemed deserted, except for the most confused two individuals- Gaara and Neji.

Neji sat in the middle of the living room floor, surrounded by dirty socks, text books, cellos, couches, and candles. The lights were off, and under his breath he chanted rituals of tradition. Cross-crossed next to him, Gaara.

The whole ritual/meditating thing was ok with Gaara. The only thing that made him well... uneasy was the fact he had to mentally restrain himself from just jumping all over Neji every 2 minutes. It gave him the feeling of eagerness, something he didn't feel often, when he looked at Neji's gentle face lighted by candles, and the incense floating through the room, rosemary and raspberries, made him more horney than ever.

_Wanting? Is that it? Love...or Lust? no, just lust. We just caught up...but then again, love isn't measured on a scale of time. That's it. I'm going for it.... _

The feeling had swept him over. He loved Neji. no turning back. It seemed ridiculous, gay red-head goth child falls for a totally decent, wonderful straight childhood friend. How tragic...

Gaara thought of words to say, _I love you? no... look i really like you and... wanna go out? Crap... this isn't working.... i can't think of any words to describe it...._

He then decided, there were no words that could describe love, there was only **action.**

He crawled over in front of Neji on all fours. Gaara could feel Neji's warm mint scented breath, and admired his pale flawless features. Neji's eyes were still closed as Gaara's lips moved closer. Gaara's eyes were not small slits as a kiis was only a inch away.

the chanting stopped. Gaara's body slammed into a nearby cello, smashing it to pieces, the wood jammed into his shoulder, bleeding through his shirt. It dripped on the white carpet, leaving a regretful stain.

"Why the fuck did you do that Neji??!!!!" Gaara's voice had raised two octaves and tears slanted down his face.

Neji had no idea his push was so strong... it was just... a immediate reaction.

"I didn't meant to! It's just my reflexes!!"

"REFLEX MY FUCKING ASS!!! THIS HURTS!!!" Gaara grasped his shoulder in pain.

"Im sorry, Im sorry , im sorry, im sorry!! fuck... Uh.. emergency room?"

"YES."

Neji ran over to Gaara. ""should i put out thos hunk of wood"

Gaara shook his head.

"Ok."

Neji picked Gaara up bridal style, being careful not to touch the wound. He literally sprinted to his Mercedes and laid Gaara on his stomach on the back seat.

"are you ok?"

The response was a load moan.

"Shit..." He turned the key and pressed the gas full throttle. They flew out of Violin Deluxe, only giving Naruto and Sasuke one glimpse of it.

Naruto raised an eyebrow." Was that Neji and Gaara?"

Sasuke nodded." Yeah... I wonder what's going on..."

"Maybe they realized how great they were for each other."

"no way."

"It could happen!!"

"whatever. We can call them later."

"Hmm.."

both of them took a step in to the town house....


	6. Sugar coated

They then walked into the town house.

Sasuke's eyes moved around the room darkened room.

_Candles? what exactly __**did**__ they do?_

He flipped on the switch.

Naruto's eye's widened downward toward the carpet."WWWWWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! MY CCCCEEEEELLLLLLLLOOOOOO!!!!"

Naruto's eyes were already pink and puffy and sweltering with tears. He crawled on the floor to the remains of his cello and hugged a big chuck of wood that was left. His back hunched over and the only sound was Naruto's sniffs. He was already missing it...

Sasuke was concerned." I wonder if Neji and Gaara did this..."

Naruto couldn't stop from sobbing. His cried sounded like an infant's soft screams.

Sasuke tried to soothe him, "you can always get you a new cello... no big deal. These things are replaceable."

Naruto turned his head, his eye's all red from crying. The frown on his face had an angry accent and he had the coldest look on his face. Colder than Sasuke's glares would ever be. He had trouble speaking through his hiccups, " DO YOU *hiccup* EVEN HAVE AN *hiccup* IDEA *hiccup* HOW MUCH I WORKED *hiccup* FOR THIS CELLO?????!!!! IT CAN'T BE REPLACED!!!!! *hiccup* NOOOOOOO!!!!"

Sasuke got on the floor next to Naruto and put an arm around his trembling shoulders. He spoke in a soft voice. " How about I just buy you a new cello? It's not like I can't afford it..."

Naruto looked up hopefully. "You mean it? you would do that... for me?

"Of course."

*******LATER************

They sat for a while just staring at the dismantled wood.

A small but sure smile appeared on Naruto's tearstained face a bit after. " You know, I worked 2 full time jobs for this Cello. It took me 3 years to save up for it. and when I finally got it, it was like I had finally done something in my life. I just wish... I could've kept my one and only accomplishment a bit longer..."

"That can't be your _only_ accomplishment"

"Well... it's the one I feel most proud of, out of the few I have."

Sasuke sighed, and tried to change the subject. "So... what do you think happened?"

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows till it seemed the were imbedded in his brain and bit a fingernail in deep thought.

He finally can to an accusation. "I don't know, but whoever did it gonna pay. big time. no mercy."

His answer had a dark tone to it that Sasuke didn't like.

"Pay with what?" Sasuke asked.

"PAIN."

"What if it was Gaara?"

"I told you, no mercy."

"Neji?"

"NO. MERCY."

"Me?"

Naruto gave Sasuke a quick playful glare."Not the moment for a joke...but nice try. I didn't think you had any humor."

"I don't."

"Oh. Well if it was you... I might give you a free pass."

" Thanks. I feel special."

"You should. Especially since you get to have this.." Naruto ran his hands down his hips.

A chuckle came from pale lips. "Your right." He moved in for another kiss, right on the lips. Since they were already on the floor, Sasuke pushed down Naruto down deeper till his head rested on the carpet. Sasuke had one hand supporting him from above Naruto and one on Naruto's cheek, caressing it slowly.

Sasuke couldn't help but let a big smile show through. "Has anyone ever told you how pretty you are? How stunning those big blue eyes are? "

Naruto giggled. "Yes. you have."

"Do you mind if I say it again?'

"Nope!" The foxy grin was back. Sasuke was glad.

Sasuke leaned in closer, right to where their noses touched and their eyes locked in passion and caring.

"You're beautiful."

Something about the way Sasuke said that line melted Naruto down to where he felt like spilt milk on the floor. It was irresistible. It was loving. It was sexy. It was soothing. It was nothing but bliss.

Sasuke sure knew how to treat a loved one good. It made Naruto feel like playdough inside and fiery on the outside, on his cheeks and on top of his chest. Right where his heart is. No one had ever been so nice to him. not even Gaara. no one but Sasuke could keep him smiling.

No one but Sasuke could pick him up like he did.

He was the comfort and the lover and the play mate wrapped in one mysterious sugar coated package. It was like Christmas all over again.

Naruto had finally fallen for Sasuke, and Sasuke could see it in his eye's as their lips locked for a French kiss. Sasuke lowered in even more till they were both laying out on the carpet. The kisses were intense. Sasuke slipped his tong in Naruto's hot mouth. A moan escaped.

Sasuke hoped he could hear more of that.

It had moved on to a battle of the tongs, passion and ferocity had welcomed themselves into the boys relationship.

They finally broke apart for air.

Naruto spoke first. "when did I start falling for you?" It was in serious and loving tone.

Sasuke chuckled. " Since the first time our lips met."

"you are _so_ **corny**!!"

"Yes. But That's how you like me right? corny but somewhat sexy."

"Yeah."Naruto admitted.

'wow. I've never talked in full sentences with anybody but you most of the time."

"Hhhhhmmm... and I've never been so giddy and clumsy around anybody most of the time."

"It's a first for both of us."

"Yep..."

And then, in the wreckage (literally) they fell asleep in each other's arms, exhausted from the unexpected broken cello, class, and the passion in the air.

finally, they were in love with each other.

and they both knew it.

*************END OF CHAPTER***********

**If you don't know already, I like to keep my chappies short so I can update way faster. It took me a while figure out how to do a small make-out thing. i wanna add a lemon later but I not good at that stuff. would any like to WRITE THE LEMON CHAPTER FOR ME?? I will give the author full credit. I would really appreciate it. e-mail me at musicalxlolita(at)gmail(dot)com with a small sample of a sasunaru lemon scene. **

**THANK U FOR READING!!**

**REVEIW!!! **

**~LOVELY BULLETS**


	7. The Wrongful Blade

Review reply to V: you reviewed on chap. 2 but I just got it today so I'm answering on chap 7. I can't believe I forgot to say what song I used!! My bad. The song on chap. 2 was _**Time to Dance**_** By **_**Panic! At The Disco. **_

_***********************************_

The sound of doctors and nurses voices blended together, creating an oasis of organized chaos and throbbing pain. Gaara only saw the ceiling as Neji ran through the automatic hospital doors. He had long forgot what was going on. He had long forgot how much pain a deep wound could create. Gaara tried hard to focus more on the past events, rather than the current ones as his tears blurred his vision.

_Caring._

He knew Neji cared for him, but was he so disgusted with homosexuals that he had reflexes just to repel them? It made Gaara feel belittled and unwanted... maybe he was.

_A kiss?_

A stupid kind of feeling over ridded Gaara when he thought of the kiss he had so foolishly tried to lay on Neji's lips. Why did he even try? Gaara felt as if no one would ever love him.

Cello...?

Gaara realized that cello that he had smashed into wasn't his... it was **Naruto's**. Now Gaara was the one feeling guilty. What a mess they had created...

Suddenly a gentle nurse's voice met his ears, interrupting his racing thought. Gaara didn't bother to figure out if he was still in Neji's arms or a bed. He only paid attention to the high tender voice of the nurse. "alright honey, we're gonna pull this out and stitch this up for you. ok?"

A panic shock wave rumbled through Gaara's veins. He spoke up. "Painkiller? Anything? No more pain..."

The nurse replied, "I'm sorry, no painkillers till after. We need to do this now. don't worry! you can hold your friends hand. It'll make you feel better to have something to squeeze."

Even though Gaara still was loathing Neji at the moment, he reached over and grasped Neji's nearby hand reluctantly.

The sight of blood made Neji woozy and unsteady, so when Gaara took hold his hand while the emergency room doctors prepared to pull out the wood logged in his shoulder, Neji participated only cause he still had a huge twinge of guilt pounding on his forehead.

He was only cooperating out of sympathy, not of something silly like wanting to comfort someone who took advantage of his meditation time. Neji wasn't _that_ soft.

But he couldn't help but wince as doctors slowly pulled out the huge piece of wood. Blood poured out of Gaara's pale shoulder, flowing out like unsteady lava. Gaara squeezed Neji's hand till it turned purple and it got numb to the point where _he_ needed a doctor.

The emergency room people tossed the large chunk of wood in a garbage bag nearby. About half of it was covered in blood.

Neji's head got a little fainter. He looked down at Gaara, who's eye's were closed tight with escaping tears falling down his neck to his shirt. He let out a loud moan of anguish. The doctors had already started to move the needle and thread in and out his skin. It was the first time Neji had ever seen something like that so visual. It was too much.

Neji's brain shut down and his body followed in suit as he tumbled toward the hospital's white tile. He landed with a bang. Nurses rushed over to him and dragged him to a bed nearby. One of them spoke, "alright, now someone has to hold that boys hand now..."

"Not me..."One replied.

"alright, I'll do it." A courageous lady nurse walked over to Gaara, still moaning in pain, and took hold of his hand. She bent down so he lips were close to his ear. "It'll be ok... I'll be every minute don't worry. It'll all be over soon and you can go home! The pain won't stay for long. I promise."

The lady's voice hit Gaara hard. He felt like he was in a mirror world. his brain intertwined colors and shapes, giving Gaara the feeling like he had just gotten high of some maximum dosage of LSD or who knows what... but most importantly... his brain tricked him... the nurses voice sounded like Neji's. Gaara's thoughts were clouded, but he tried hard to think straight.

_Neji is comforting me... even though I... he's forgiving me! Or...Wait, why would forgive me?...Maybe he realized how much...I mean to him... could he feel...the same? but was that even Neji? no... it was. I'm sure..._

Too bad Gaara didn't open his eyes to see that Neji was unconscious in the bed across from him.

An unidentifiable voice spoke to Gaara. He thought it was a doctor " Alright young man, were done, we'll give you some pain killers in about 20-30minutes, you can rest here for while I get them."

"Ok." Gaara replied. He felt much better after ten minutes, there was only a tremendous sore feeling. He didn't have any sense of time, he had no idea if the stitches took 5 hours or 5 minutes. He tried to open his eyes but was blinded by the bright lights above his face. He closed them immediately. He noticed he wasn't holding Neji's hand anymore. (A/N:its the nurses hand, but Gaara still thinks it's neji's.) but he didn't mind. It was over. He just laid there, still waiting for the doctors to give him some pain killers so Neji could carry him home.

He did worry though, why was Neji being so quite now?

******************************

Kiba walked to the college house with the rest of the soccer team of VD trailing behind. It was around 6pm. The team had just gotten done with a long practice and had decided to crash at Kiba's for a casual shindig.

Kiba knew little was in store for him as he joked around before opening the front door.

"Hey guys... some of my roommates are a little gay so don't be freaked ok?"

a burst of laughter followed.

"Ok man, just as long as there not making love on in the middle floor or something. I'm fine." One teammate replied jokingly.

"And as long as those homo fags don't ruin our party I'm fine."

Kiba grinned. "Yeah, ok. something about those fags make them really horny. I can't believe I got roomed with them!! "

another round of laughter echoed.

"Let's go guys!!!" A random voice shouted from the back of the group.

They all smiled and laughed as Kiba reached for the door.

He turned the knob and the door flew wide open.

They all stepped inside, to find not Sasuke and Naruto on the floor but both standing, arms crossed, with the standard icy glare. A scowl marked both their faces as Naruto slowly spoke first. "Oh? So I'm a fag now am I?! I deserve respect too! Kiba. I thought we were **friends**!! I could hear you guys through the door!!!"

The rest of the team howled in laughter behind Kiba they all started to rant on, "you're friends with this homo Kiba?"

"come on!!! you're friends with this loser?"

"Let's bolt this fag parade!"

"I hate fags. don't you too Kiba?"

It all bounced off the walls as Naruto's blue eyes dulled.

Kiba looked back and forth between his two groups of friends. He was trapped. who would he choose? He only took a moment to decide. Kiba wasn't staying with his true friends, he was staying with the people that got him in parties free and sold him Mary J(marijuana), the people that laughed at him behind his back and were too materialistic to ever have a true friend.

Kiba made a wrong choice. And it all happened so fast.

He chuckled. "Me? Friends with you? I don't think so. these are my home boys right here." Kiba wrapped his arm around the neck of a teammate and grinned. "Right guys?"

They all howled in reply.

Naruto's fist shook, and his eyes started to water. His glacier blue eyes were now puddles of muddy water as he started to cry. (A/N: I have no idea why I'm making everybody cry!! I just I have to! it adds to the effect. XD) Sasuke put his hand in Naruto's to comfort him. All the soccer team loved this, they started taunting non-stop.

"Aw... ain't that _touching_?"

"Dude!! you made him cry! alright!!"

"Make the other homo cry too!!"

"Hahahahahahaha!!! nice one!!!"

"Fight Fight Fight Fight!!!"

Sasuke was no longer going to just stand there.

He walked up to Kiba and took a swing with his knuckles square in the nose. Kiba flew backwards only to be cushioned by his teammates who threw his back in the fight like a wrestler. They all formed a circle around the two, screaming and jumping like rabid animals.

"KIBA! KIBA!KIBA!KIBA!" They all chanted on.

Naruto was screaming too, "SASUKE!! STOP IT!! NO! DON"T!!!" His words were only to be shot down.

Kiba wiped his now bloody nose. He then decided _'what the hell, I might as well'_ and started to swing at Sasuke. Sasuke dogged every one, getting a more and more fierce look in his eyes. He caught Kiba's blind spot, his side, and swung his foot there, hitting a bulls eye. Kiba fell to the floor, grasping his new bruise.

He then got right back up.

That was Naruto's breaking point. He walked into the circle and sucker punched Kiba's jaw. His tooth fell out as he stumbled back.

"you wanna fight too Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head. "just listen to me, fighting isn't right please stop!" Naruto made sure to turn so Sasuke knew he was talking to him too.

Sasuke understood and nodded regretfully.

Kiba snarled. "Hell no, if there's a fight I'm gonna finish it." He shoved Naruto back.

Ok, if just a moment ago was Naruto's braking point, it was now his shattering, obliteration point.

_I can't believe I'm going to have to pull this out again. I swear, I thought I was past this..._

Naruto took a moment for that thought then took action. He reached in shoe sock, and pulled out a pocket knife. He flicked out the blade effortlessly letting everyone know it was real.

All sound froze. Kiba took a step back ."N-Naruto, please, put that away, just a square fight..."

Naruto had gone mad. "NO! This is a square fight where I come from! I can't believe you!!! when a man ask you to call it truce, you do it you ignorant fool!"

He was shaking waving the blade haphazardly.

Sasuke tried to stop the madness "Naruto you can kill someone with that! Stop!"

"NO."

"Naruto!"

"shut it alright! you don't know what I've been through!" Tears flowed like waterfalls on Naruto's cheeks. He was shaking with uncontrollable force as he moved forward to Kiba, everybody frozen.

Sasuke jolted forward, hugged Naruto from behind, trapping his arms.

"Let go!!" Naruto struggled forcefully kicking and biting Sasuke's hand. He let go of the blade and let it fall on the floor. Kiba took hold of it and threw at the bottom of the trash can.

Sasuke let of his grasp on Naruto, letting him fall to the floor, sobbing and sobbing more than ever before. He had his hand cover his face as he apologized profusely. 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm... I'm.."

Sasuke bent down, hugging Naruto's crouched figure. "Ssshh..it's ok."

Naruto shook his head, "no... no it's not. everything's going wrong..."

Sasuke just held Naruto closer. he looked up at the silent jocks. "you guys should go. NOW."

They all left, including Kiba, into the cold autumn night.

Naruto was right. Everything's going wrong.

************END OF CHAPTER*****************

**wow. that took me a bit longer to type up. that's my most powerful chapter yet. XD REVEIW!!THANKS FOR READING!!!**


	8. Tainted

Neji awoke to the sound of Gaara's steady breathing in the hospital bed next to him. He blinked his pale eyes quickly, adjusting to the bright lights.

Just a moment ago I was standing next to Gaara holding his hand then...oh, the blood came. Ugh. I passed out. no wonder my head feels like its internally bleeding.

He slowly slid out of the side of the bed, still dazed from what had happened moments ago. He stood over Gaara, who eyes were still shut tight and had dry tear marks on his face. Somehow, Gaara sensed his presence.

"Neji?"

"Hi."

Neji's voice was colder than Gaara had previously remembered. He decided to ask him about it later.

"So..." It seemed immensely hard for Gaara to think up a conversation at the moment. Everything was awkward and out of place. Gaara opened his eyes and just then the doctor came to his rescue. He spoke rather calmly.

"alright young man, here are some pain killers, take 2 everyday for 2 weeks. One in the morning, one at night. Then come back in a month or two, then we can take the stitches out. Oh, and you'll have that bandage on your shoulder for about a week. you can take it off yourself."

Gaara simply nodded and took the medication bottle.

He got out of bed and wobbled slightly as he tried to walk down the hallway. Gaara was waiting for Neji to offer him his hand or something for balance, but no offer was made. He was feeling much better physically, but mentally he was still the same.

_I need someone to hold me... as more than a friend. _

He felt like crying again but held it back.

**'I'm not ok, I'm not ok, you wear me out... Well if you wanted honesty that's all you had to say I never meant to let you down or...' **

The sudden sound of Neji's my chemical romance ringtone made Gaara jump.

Neji spoke into the cell."Oh, hey Uchiha."

Sasuke was on the other end, still crouched on the floor holding a broken Naruto. "Where are you guys? I forgot to call you earlier... and I noticed there's blood on the carpet."

Neji badly wanted to tell a lie, he wanted to say everything was handy-dandy and that his world was a perfect sphere instead of a crumbled up ball of unspoken truths ,lies, cigarettes, and blood. His morals wouldn't let him though, they only let him bent the truth right before it snapped. "Oh, Gaara accidentally fell into a cello and got the wood logged in his shoulder. We went to the emergency room for some stitches. "

Gaara glared at Neji for his lack of detail. It seemed as if Neji was trying to put the blame on him. He lightly kicked Neji's leg to show dismay. Neji just ignored him.

"wait...so Gaara did it?"

"Well it partly my fault too..."

"It can't be both of you guys fault. Only one."

"Uuummm..." Neji looked at Gaara hopping for an answer. Gaara flatly with no emotion said."Tell them the **whole truth**."

"so, who was it?" Sasuke sounded annoyed.

"It was mine. I sort of pushed him."

"Pushed him into a cello?! what is with all this violence?"

"no it was just a reflex! I was meditating and he was right in my face all of a sudden!"

"Neji, don't give me that bull shit. Naruto is very upset about it."Sasuke didn't want to mention the fight or the pocket knife till they were face to face.

Neji sighed as he got in his car with Gaara and turned the ignition. "Look, lets discuss this later when I get there. ok?"

"Fine. your getting no mercy though. Naruto's orders." Before Neji could reply the line went dead.

Sasuke had hung up.

Neji had a feeling nothing in the house would be pleasant.

******************************

Neji and Gaara walked into the college house to find it in shambles, like someone had just come through and ransacked the place. Shika and Chouji were home from their day activities, sitting on the floor with Naruto and Sasuke in a small circle. Neji and Gaara silently joined them.

Naruto's blonde locks covered his stricken face as he whimpered ever other minute. Neji broke the ice. "so... what happened with you guys? and where is Kiba?"

Naruto tensed.

Sasuke tried to explain as civilly as he could. "Kiba was smack talking us outside the door with the soccer team. when they came in we confronted them and it just turned into a fight...Naruto stepped in and tried to stop it and things got out of hand..."

"what do you mean by 'out of hand?'"

"Naruto pulled out a pocket knife."

Neji was speechless. his face described the words he couldn't say.

Naruto? the cute angelic innocent blonde? no way.

But Gaara wasn't fazed. The scene was all too common to him. "Naruto, I thought you were done with that stuff."

Nobody in the room except Gaara and Naruto knew what was going on. Neither stopped for an explanation.

"Gaara, I am done with that stuff."

"then what's with the blade?"

"I needed to stop the fight."

"Naruto. Stop it. If you need some more help I'll give you the money."

"No! I don't want to take money!" at that point everyone else staring at the pair intensely. what was this thing about being _done with it?_

Sasuke was dying to figure this out. "Can you explain please?!"

_Naruto looked away. _

I never wanted this to be known...

"Naruto, please explain this situation to everybody." Gaara spoke softly.

Naruto started talking, but still had his head turned away. "I lived in London till I was 6, then I moved to America with my mom because my dad died of... of a medication overdose."

The air seemed to have a black aura floating around, and it infected everybody with its despair at that moment.

Naruto continued. "My mom had a poor job, so we lived in ghetto neighborhood. Nobody was friendly. i had to learn how to protect myself and trust no one. People got shot every week. I didn't know anybody that didn't shoplift or didn't sell drugs...things were bad. after I turned 14, I joined a-a gang."

nobody saw that coming.

_A fucking gang?!!!_ Sasuke's head was about to fly off.

"come on Naruto... you couldn't have been in a gang." Sasuke felt like he was pleading.

Naruto looked down on the floor then at Sasuke. He slowly removed his blue wrist band nobody had took to noticed before.

On his wrist was a tattoo of a dagger with blood dripping off the side and the words, **Blue Blood(** I think there's an actual gang called black Bloods or something...I just made this one up.).

"Sorry, I was a Blue Blood..."

No reply.

"I'm sorry, you had to find out this was Sasuke... it's ok if you don't want to be around me anymore... I still do have some dangerous connections..."

Sasuke couldn't think of any words, and when he tried to, it came out in a mush.

_Naruto...gang...blood... eyes... knife... Naruto...blue...love?_

no one could think of any words to put together. They just all stared at the now tainted angle.

Sasuke was the first to stand up. He just left, racing to his room then slamming the door.

Everyone else followed. Go to room, slam door, leave one less person to comfort Naruto.

after a minute, The only ones left were Gaara and Naruto.

"Naruto...I'm going to go to bed early. I'm sorry."

Naruto just nodded, his eyes blank and his face pale. He felt like dying, just like he had back in America.

_I hate my life._

_********END OF CHAPTER**************_

_**hope you liked it. REVIEW!!! REIVEWS ARE MY INSPARATION TO KEEP GOING!!! THANK YOU!!**_


	9. Restrainted Envy

_If only I had told him earlier..._

Naruto was all alone in the middle of the shambled living room. He laid, hugging his sides and crying once more. "No one will forgive me... I lied to them all.." nothing could be herd except Naruto's small whispers. The pieces of his cello still hadn't be picked up, and no one had bothered to pick up the fallen vases or askew random objects that had been throw during the fight. Naruto tried to to flash back to anything, not the fight and definitely not his time with the Blue Bloods.

I _wish broken pieces of wood could speak... I would talk to them..._

But then... the sound of hope, someone opened their door and was walking down the hall, toward Naruto. Someone was coming comforting him after all!!

Naruto quickly sat up. "Sasuke! I knew you would..."

Naruto would've continued, if it was only Sasuke who had walked up to him instead of Neji. silently, Naruto kept his eyes locked on Neji's pale ones as he took a seat next to him. A new feeling entered Neji's heart. Forgiveness and Regret.

"Naruto, I'm sorry I caused your cello to break...and that gang thing, it's in the past, so let's just forget about. If Sasuke doesn't want to be your friend anymore, I guess I'll just have to replace him." Neji took his large hand and wiped away a tear on Naruto's face.

The sound of Sasuke being replaced would've sounded crazy any other time, but now it sounded pretty good. Neji came out to forgive him when Sasuke should've done it long before. Naruto wasn't feeling sorry for Sasuke because he had about 5 hours to come out of his bedroom. It was now 1:30 am.

Neji wrapped his arm around Naruto's shoulder. "Thank you so much Neji!!" Naruto hugged him, rubbing his cheek along Neji's pale flat cheek like some sort of cat. Neji found this cute.

"Haha. you're welcome."

"oooohhh... you cheeks are getting warm..."

"They are not."

"Hm. It's ok. you don't have to be embarrassed." Naruto pulled away, taking the heat off of Neji.

"whatever you say."

"you made me feel so much better, you don't even know..."

"I'm very glad."

"Me too."

Neji was starting to feel something. Like he had been missing out on something.

He took a moment to think...

_Oh._

He had been missing out on Naruto! All of a sudden, his religion and morals flew away somewhere far and died. He wanted Naruto... no matter if Sasuke cared or not. Neji had never been so spontaneous in his life. It was brand new.

Neji looked down at Naruto, who was resting his head on his broad shoulder. He bent down and kissed Naruto's forehead. Naruto's neck seemed to snapped as his head turned to him.

"are you sure you not gay?"

Neji got a little nervous. He didn't know he did that... something had come over him.

"I really don't know what I am." Neji was telling the truth.

Naruto grinned a bit, something Neji longed to see. "Well, to save yourself some time, why don't you just say your only gay for me?"

Neji couldn't help but crack up. It wasn't such a bad idea."Ok. I'm gay for only you."

Naruto nodded in approval.

_Maybe I'll come out ok... in the end._

******************

Gaara and Sasuke were in rage. They both had planned to go over to Naruto, but Neji had beat them by about 10 minutes. They had both stood around the corner of the living room during the whole conversation. Then they had both ran back into Sasuke's room, about to explode.

"That son of a bitch!!!I can't believe him, he's taking advantage of Naruto!" Sasuke's face was rapidly turning red and thoughts of another fight spread freely.

"and Neji!! That BASTARD who gave me these stitches! Am I that ugly? Can't I be loved too?" Gaara just shook his fist in anger.

"That's it. Neji's not my friend anymore. I have to get Naruto back..."

"..." Gaara didn't feel like talking anymore, he was too upset. He just slowly lowered down and laid on the cold wood floor of Sasuke's bedroom, imagining figures up on the ceiling. Gaara needed something, not a person, just a cigarette.

Naruto and him had always opposed cigarettes, but now he didn't care. "Sasuke, give me a cigarette."

Sasuke tossed him a whole pack. "I thought you didn't smoke."

"I do now. Lighter?"

Sasuke tossed him the lighter. Gaara lit a cigarette, breathed it all in, coughing out the smoke harshly. He held onto his chest, trying to get a grip on the new experience. "Ugh."

"Haha. slow down..."

"...it's not so bad." Gaara slid the rest of the cigarettes in his pocket.

"why were you guys so against cigarettes in the first place?" Sasuke was just rambling on, trying to get some kind of conversation to block out the pain.

'" Naruto's mom died not too long ago from lung cancer. she smoked a lot."

Sasuke looked down at the cig on Gaara's lips. They didn't seem like just cigarettes anymore, they now were really, in Naruto's words, _**Death sticks**_.

He felt sorry for Naruto a little now, but not enough to override the anger.

"I had no idea."

"Of course you didn't. Naruto's a good liar. He can conceal anything. His mask rarely cracks"

"Is he really that bad? Is he really some sort of criminal?"

_Have I been falling for a just a fake plastered mask of beauty in the filth? _

"Well, he never did anything big that was against the law, just small stuff everyone does."

"Like what?"

"Gang fights... Graffiti... you know, the works."

"Oh."

_Here we go with the violence again. _

"So Sasuke, I'm going to my room, but let's talk to them in the morning about how to confront them and stuff, I'm too drained right now."

Sasuke nodded. He couldn't believe how calm Gaara was. It was almost to the point where Sasuke found it cynical.

Gaara left, closing his door softly.

Sasuke jumped in his bed. He could go out in the living room right now...but that wouldn't do anything really. He was itching to start another fight. He knew it would not help Naruto by starting another one... he had to stay calm, for Naruto.

After awhile, Sasuke finally started to fizzle down and become icy again.

He was sure Neji wouldn't go as far as to make-out with Naruto or anything. It was just a one- time thing. Neji was just making Naruto feel better. He wasn't serious about anything. Sasuke was sure.

_But how sure can I be at this point...?_

He drifted off to sleep, listening to Naruto and Neji laugh through the thin walls. He couldn't help but wonder, how much could he trust Neji?

_How much can I stand this jealousy?_

*****************END OF CHAPTER***********

**My sister read this and was like "how can you write in that much detail with that smoking scene? Wait.. do you smoke??!!! If you do your in big trouble..." The truth is I don't smoke at all. It might seem like I do by reading this story and the smoking scenes but I just get it from books. I just wanted to clear that. I'm away to young to smoke. (plus I could never bring myself do it, my grandpa died from lung cancer...)**

**ALSO, IM STILL LOOKING FOR SOME ONE TO WRITE A LEMON CHAPTER FOR NARUTO AND SASUKE!!!! E-MAIL ME IF YOUR INTERESTED (musicalxlolita(at)gmail(dot)com) I'LL GIVE YOU FULL CREDIT. **

**if you didn't notice I update about every 1-3 days which means I have a lot of free time... any ideas for future chapters? I'm open for any thoughts you have...**


	10. Love?

_Maybe I over reacted. _

Sasuke laid on his back in his expensive bed, looking up at the old mystery brown stains on the ceiling. He felt more tired, more dreadful than normal. It was that kind of aching feeling that you know is just created by the messed up psychological part of your mind. But still...it hurt pretty bad.

_I just want to stare at the ceiling...just a little longer. _

The ceiling was probably the ugliest thing Sasuke had ever seen besides a cockroach. Brown and red splotches, crusty cracks, and peeling yellow-white paint. He couldn't look away though. It was a weird indescribable, disgusting feeling that had permanently glued itself on Sasuke's brain. He sort of liked it...

"Sasuke."

Sasuke turned his eyes to his bedroom door. It was Gaara.

"Hm?"

"Where's Naruto and Neji?"

"what?! They're gone...?"

"Yeah. They cleaned up the mess though. "

Sasuke jumped out of bed, ignoring the soreness. He ran to the living room. The wood pieces that were splattered everywhere the night before were gone. Random things thrown around the room during the fight, gone. He then realized something else, Kiba was still gone too. It was all clean, like nothing had ever happened. Like nightmares never existed.

Gaara took out his cell, coming in behind Sasuke. "I'm calling Neji."

Sasuke snarled.

"Hey. It's me Gaara. Where are you?"

Neji spoke on the other end. "Cello shopping with Naruto."

"Oh. Uuuummm...ok."

"Is there a problem?"

"No...I don't think so." _**Yes. **_Gaara's mind was screaming _**yes**_, there is a problem.

There was a sudden eruption of laughter in the background, followed by the sound of a cello playing, then Naruto's loud voice screaming in the backround 'Neji!! Look! This cello is made of glass and metal...and it's BLUE!! I **love **it.'

"Hmmm...ok Naruto...oh Gaara, we'll be back in a while."

Gaara's hands formed a small clasped fist. He bit his lip in jealousy.

"Sure."

"Bye."

"B-Bye."

Gaara pressed the end button on his cell.

"Well?" Sasuke said curiously.

"They're cello shopping" Gaara subconsciously rubbed his hurt shoulder.

"...I was supposed to do that." There was a threatening edge to Sasuke's tone of voice. It actually scared Gaara.

"Hmm." Gaara adverted his eyes.

"He's taking advantage of Naruto, I know it." Sasuke's voice became louder.

"He's trying to be a good friend." Gaara said, knowingly lying to himself.

"It just makes me mad."

"Me too...why can't Neji and I do something fun..." He felt so unloved.

Sasuke finally sighed in defeat. "I'm going to get coffee. Want anything?"

Gaara shook his head.

Sasuke changed out of his PJ's then went out the door, slamming it behind him.

*****************************

"Wow. It really **is** blue." Neji stared in amazement gazing at the blue cello in Naruto's arms. There was a big smile plastered to Naruto's face, and his eyes were bright and glossy again, the way they looked at the beginning and the way Neji liked them the best.

"Let me see the price..." Naruto looked at the price tag attached to the cello. His eye widened. "Mmmmm... I don't know about this one."

"No, I don't care about the price. As long as your happy." Neji flashed a handsome grin that made Naruto laugh.

"Thanks!! and just for reference...it's € 28,500..." ( A/N:That's about 40,000 dollars in American money.)

Neji's grin almost faltered. " O-o-ok. I guess I can do that. My father won't mind that much..."

"If it's too much, that's ok ! I can find a cheaper one that's not metal and glass and... blue." Naruto was already moving toward the rack to put the cello back. Neji reached and grabbed Naruto's wrist. The heat on Neji's skin made Naruto jump.

"No. I said price doesn't matter... let's get it. you can show it off when you try out for the Universities' orchestra next week." His voice sounded reassuring.

Looking down at the cello, Naruto seemed to suddenly blush. _Neji's going through so much trouble for me... he's so...so... gentleman like. It's nice... _

He realized Neji was still holding his wrist. "You're really, really, really, really, awesome Neji! Not to mention a true gentleman!!" Naruto set down the cello and gave Neji a big glomp. Naruto wrapped his arms around Neji's neck and looked up at him. "How can I repay you?"

Neji twisted his lips thoughtfully, not even being conscience of Naruto's overdose of PDA. "Ooohhhhh. I think I'll need 23 more hugs and we'll be even."

Naruto giggled. "sounds good."

Neji nodded and let go.

They bought the blue cello with a special orange case for it, and wheeled it out the door. The shop they bought it out of was close by, so they had walked there from VD.

The air was chilly and it seemed fit for Naruto's laugh to break through it. Neji couldn't look away as Naruto chatted rapidly, changing the subject in sync with the sea of his moods.

"Hey, what's up with you and Sasuke?" Neji just wanted to get this question out of the way, since it wasn't clear if Naruto and Sasuke were together, broken up, or never together in the first place. It was all tangled up and foggy. Neji wasn't sure which way to go.

" Oh...I'm just ignoring him till he admits he over reacted and apologizes. It sort of made him a little unattractive, the way he couldn't understand." Naruto still seemed nonchalant.

Neji nodded. _Yes, yes! Maybe I have a chance..._

They finally made it to their house. Naruto wasn't ready for what was inside.

"YYYYOOO!! What's up blood brother???!!!" There was a man, slender figure, black hair, black eyes, much like Sasuke, with a skimpy black stomach tank-top that showed his ripped muscles and eclectic blue skinny jeans, sitting on the arm of the living room couch, swinging his legs around haphazardly. Naruto's face visibly paled to a paper white and he almost dropped his new cello. The man just smiled, tilting his head to the side like an innocent child. Gaara and Sasuke were there too, silently staring in the background.

"S-s-sa-sa-i-sa-SAI!" Naruto screamed.

"NARUTO!!"

"SAI"

"NNNNAAARRRUUUUTTTOO!!"

Naruto just busted out in laughter. "Long time on see."

Sai nodded. "Yep." He jumped down from the couch and walked over Naruto. "You gave up America to come over here with **these weirdoes**?" Sai made it a notion to point his thumb back to Sasuke and Gaara when he emphasized 'these weirdoes'.

Naruto smirked. "London is alright."

Sasuke stood up and interjected. "Whoa, whoa, whoa I just let this guy in cause he said he knew you and I also... I heard "Blood brother" and America...Sai, are you..."

Sai stuck out his tong playfully and showed his tattooed wrist with a bloody dagger. "Hellz yeah. I'm a Blue Blood."

"Naruto! You still keep in contact with these guys?!" Neji was suddenly in the conversation.

"Well...just Sai...he's harmless ok? "

Sai grunted, trying not to chuckle.

Naruto sighed. "Ok...he might not be safe, but he's not deadly! Just let us ketch up, alright?"

Everyone in the room groaned. "I don't know about this..." Neji warned.

"Don't worry, I left my gun in my car. The worst I can do is give you a little bruise and cuts." Sai was joking, but Sasuke was still scared out of his mind. He never thought playful homosexual gangsters existed. It was all a joke until now. Sasuke's lifelong denial and shield to the world was fading. He just wanted to crawl back into bed. He stared to chew on his lip and tug at the bottom of his turtle neck with nervousness.

"come on Naruto, let's go to your room so we can talk without these losers around. " Sai tugged on Naruto's arm, dragging him up the stairs.

"Sure. Ok you guys, I tell you everything later!!" Naruto yelled as he made his way to his room with Sai.

Everyone in the room looked around awkwardly.

"I have a bad feeling." Gaara said

****************************************

Sai closed Naruto's door and took a seat next to Naruto on the rug on the floor. "It's been long."Sai said.

"Yeah, How did you find me? Why are you here? How is everyone else back home? Are you living in the U.K. now? How-" Naruto flew questions out, more coming to him as he went on.

"Naruto! One question at a time." Sai put up his hands trying to slow Naruto down.

"Ok. How did you find me?"

Even though that wasn't the question he wanted Naruto to ask first, he answered enthusiastically. " you know how things get around. I just heard about you being here. It took me all day to find this house. The people at the information center wouldn't tell me until I slapped one of the employees right on the cheek! I wish you were there." Sai grinned sheepishly.

Naruto nodded akwardly. "Uh-hun. So then....why are you here? I mean, it's not like I don't want you to be here, I've missed you a lot. But plane tickets and hotels aren't cheap out here. I don't want you to waste so much money on me when I know you don't have much to spare."

Sai turned his whole body toward Naruto. He had a pleading face. His black eye were worried, and close up his pale skin was noticeably smooth and soft, just like Naruto remembered. "Naruto, we've known each other since 8th grade. And... well you know, we've been through so much, I just wanted to see your face. This is the longest time we've been separated. You still have Gaara...but we're different...we're..." Sai had no idea how to stop rambling.

The way Sai was talking, the way his eyes were, gave Naruto the worst feeling. Not the kind of feeling he had during or before a fight, but the kind of feeling he had when his gut told him to back off. Sai was being so...un-Sai. He could only remember the collected, totally cool Sai. One that could claw his way out of every situation, one that could put on his plastic mask and be totally convincing. One that gave the most true genuine smiles around the ones he trusted. Not the nervous one that sat in front of Naruto.

"Sai?" Naruto said in a questioning voice.

Sai fidgeted with his fingers. " Like I said, I just wanted to see your pretty face." He tried to smile. "That's it!"

"You sure?"

"Well...I mean...there are some...."

Naruto pursed his lips in annoyance. "Spit it out."

Sai wiggled his fingers more and more. His breathing was loud and shaky, while his normally smooth face was crinkled by him shutting his eyes so tight. He hoped Naruto couldn't hear his pounding heartbeats as clear as he could. so many words to say, so little thinking space to process them "Alright. Naruto, I've come because I've missed you. **A lot**. And in the time that we've been away, I realized how good to me you were. You only know how great something is till it's gone. I just wanted tell you...tell you that I love you." Sai opened his eyes to see Naruto's stricken face.

"Sai..." Naruto's eyes started to tear-up. He wasn't sure if he was crying cause he was happy, or because he knew his love life was now a complete mess. He missed Sai too. But did he love him also? Love him as more than a friend?

"Please! I know it's creepy for a best friend to come in and say suddenly "I love you" as more than a friend, but please."

"Sai..." Naruto couldn't think of anything else to say. all could he could think was _**Sai...Sai...Sai... Sai...Sai... **_Things were moving too fast. Too many people flirting...too much crying. It made Naruto queasy. Was he just some sort of toy to be passed around? No one seemed to consider his feelings 100%. not even Sai...or Sasuke...or Neji...or Gaara. Was there anybody? Too much of Naruto's current life seemed like a soap opera. One drama after another, just to hook some one in.

Sai just stared at Naruto, looking for any sign of anything. "Naruto? I just had to tell you. It's been killing me."

Naruto couldn't help it. He wanted to feel something real from someone he truly knew. He pushed his lips onto Sai's locking them in a sweet embrace. Sai pushed back heavier, more confident. Their Hot breaths hit each other's faces was they both fell down to the floor, Sai moving on top of Naruto. They broke their lip lock. "Naruto? What are yo-" Naruto broke Sai's sentence off by crashing their lips together once more, more passionately. For Sai, this was a dream, Naruto himself to him was a dream, so making out with Naruto was probably heaven.

They Naruto let go after one more dreamy kiss. "Naruto? What are you doing?"

Naruto just laid beneath Sai, staring up him. He had nothing to say. He had already done all the talking and thinking he could. All he could say were empty words. " Sai I just feel so plastic."

"**Plastic**?"

"Yes. All fake. Like everything about me is just...**Skin deep**."

"Skin deep, huh?"

"..."

"Naruto, what if I said you could start anew?"

"oh."

"Yeah! come on! Get out of this hell hole and come an live with me! We can fly back to America. Hell, we could move to San Francisco and get Married!!!"

"But Sai..."

"But nothing!! You know you want to."

"No."

"What?" Sai's face wasn't joyfull anymore.

"I'm not ready. I don;t even knows if Iove you. I don't even know if I can love anyone."

Sai bent down and kissed Naruto's cheek tenderly.

"I'll wait for you then. I'm not going back to America without you."

***************

**Like it? This was the most important chapter yet so I decided to make it extra long for you!! I can't believe this is **_**Chapter 10**_**!!! Amazing. I love you reviewers!!!**


	11. CRUSHED

Sai walked down to the stairs to the living room a. He strolled by Sasuke, Neji, and Gaara, pausing before he opened the door. " I'll be seeing you guys often, ya know...until Naruto decides."

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows. "Decide what?"

Sai just gave a smile. "Ask him. Maybe he'll tell you how he feels too."

"Just what are you implying?" Sasuke's voice was curious.

"That you don't know him at all. That's why I'm the only one for him. I love him more than any of you..." He was so straight forward and somewhat way too confident, that it made Neji's usually clam face become furious.

"Oh yeah, you little **punk**?! you don't know what the **hell** your saying!!"Neji stood up from the couch, instinctively pushing out his chest. Gaara sat behind him with a sulky face. _Why can't he protect me too? _Gaara thought. He again rubbed his hurt shoulder.

Sai smiled again and said in a light voice, "Oh, on the contrary, I think I do. and please, tone it down. You don't want any cuts on that beautiful face of yours, do you?" Sai's oblivious manner toward social boundaries was apparent now, and that he wasn't afraid to go too far to prove a point, for his and Naruto's sake alone.

Neji grunted and plopped back down in the couch, restraining his anger.

A small laugh came from Sai's lips. "See you tomorrow!" He ran, or more like skipped, out the door like he had just won the verbal battle.

"What an asshole." Neji mumbled.

"Hm." Gaara agreed.

" Yep." Sasuke agreed.

**************************

15 minutes passed in the silent room. No one in the room seemed to be friends and more. Jealously had taken over their ability to have a friendly conversation or do anything friendly at all.

Gaara was jealous that Naruto got all the love.

Sasuke was jealous of Neji's new closeness to Naruto.

And Neji and Sasuke were now jealous of Sai's confidence and his love and knowledge for Naruto.

Naruto was just unintentionally caught in the core of the whole mess.

"I wonder what Naruto is doing." Neji said, trying to loosen the atmosphere.

Naruto hadn't come down from his room yet and everybody in the room was restless to find out what Sai had been gloating about. They had a million questions.

Little did they know, Naruto was tortured the most by the attention they gave him.

**************************  
**_**Why me? Why me?**__ why can't I just find __**one**__? I feel so trapped, I just want to be left alone. I just want everyone to leave me alone. I liked it better when no one paid attention to me..._

Naruto laid, sprawled out on the wood floor of his room staring up at the whirling fan. He had no idea what to do. Should he just abandon his dreams of being a musician and go with Sai? But then....Naruto wasn't so sure about that. What if things didn't work out? What if they didn't have enough money? He loved Sai, but Naruto wasn't sure at what extent. Was it friendly love? Or had it suddenly morphed into something more gentle, like true, pure, genuine love? Naruto couldn't figure it out. Sai had come all the way from America, just to tell him that he loved him?

_Maybe Sai loves me more than I know...he seems to care the most out of everybody... he came all the way here to say he loved me...sorta cheesy but...romantic. I'm such a sucker..._

Naruto got up and then started digging through his closet. He pulled out an old shoe box that was falling apart. He opened the box, revealing tons of pictures stashed inside. He got out one in particular. It was a picture of him and Sai, both of their faces together, their warm skin touching. Sai's black eyes were unbelievably beaming and Naruto's blue eyes looked just like sky blue marbles. Both of them were laughing like they had no care in the world. Naruto missed those times he and Sai just lounged around, nothing to do but just talk the afternoon away. He couldn't imagine doing that with anyone else.

_Do I love Sai? _He took out more pictures of him and Sai, both of them smiling and glowing.

_Is this what love is? But what about Sasuke... I love him too...but Sai...But Sasuke... Have I just been so blind that I couldn't see the care Sai gave me? _

He took one more look at the pictures. _I love Sai...wow. I can't believe it... I'm gonna cry again..._

Tears flowed down and hit Naruto's wood floor. He wasn't sad or angry...he was **happy**! Why didn't he realize this sooner?! Why did he leave the one person that loved him the most in another country?!

_Sai is right for me...only Sai can make me smile this way. I don't feel skin deep anymore. I feel __**REAL.**_

_**********************_

Everyone in the living room had departed. Gaara was in his room, Neji was in his, but Sasuke was on his way to Naruto's. He opened the door without knocking. He found Naruto sitting on the floor, crying, and hugging some photographs. Naruto looked up at Naruto with surprise. "Sasuke...I.."

"Look Naruto, I know you might still be angry. But I just wanted to say...I'm sorry. About everything. It's in the past, and that's where it'll stay. And...why are you crying? did that asshole hurt you?! I swear, I don't care if he's got a knife, I kick his ass.

Naruto smiled and laugh. "I forgive you! And I'm fine" He got up and Gave Sasuke a quick hug. " I feel great! I'm crying because I'm happy."

"Happy about what?"

"oh...uuuummm...just Sai."

Sasuke squinted his eyes. "What about him?"

Naruto adverted his eyes, thinking of something clever, something to cover up his true feelings till he had enough guts to tell Sasuke the truth. "That he came to visit me! He's my best friend!!" Naruto flashed another cement smile.

"Naruto, tell me what you're so happy about ." Sasuke wasn't convinced.

Naruto tilted his head innocently to the side, giving a curious laugh. "What? I just told you."

Sasuke sighed. "Sai said he was waiting till you decided something. What's he talking about?"

_CRAP. I don't wanna hurt Sasuke... _"He uhh...wanted me to decide if...Iwantedtogobacktoamericawithim." Naruto made sure to fuse the last part of his sentence really fast, hoping Sasuke's keen ears wouldn't catch anything important.

"**America**?" Sasuke said in disgust.

Naruto nodded.

"you would ever consider going anywhere with that psycho, would you?

Naruto just looked at Sasuke. No response again.

Sasuke had a horrific look on his face. "You wouldn't ever go back with him, **right**? You wouldn't give up this college experience to go with him **right**?"

Naruto responded lost in thought. "Truthfully, It doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"**BAD **IDEA? IT"S A **HORRIBLE **IDEA." Sasuke's eyes were wide.

"I didn't say I was, just that I was leaning toward it."

"you're insane."

"Love can do that to people."

"**LOVE?**"

Naruto winced backwards. He could feel the power and anger beneath Sasuke's words. The way he had accidentally let his true feelings slip, and the way he said everything so fluently, actually surprised Naruto. He had never been so...at ease, even when he made such a stupid mistake as to show true intentions. Still, he was content. _Whoops, I forgot I wasn't suppose to mention that._

"Uh. Yeah, Love."

"But...but I thought..." Sasuke's emotions were changing faster than ever before. Curious, happy, angry, heartbroken. Sasuke seriously thought he needed a shrink. He felt miserable, handing Naruto the remote to his feelings. He felt used. He felt misinterpreted. Everything seemed misinterpreted. Could Naruto be saying that he now loved Sai? That was a frightening idea. "you...love Sai? I thought...you loved me. We were just having a regular fight Naruto! It's normal! Please." Sasuke had never felt so helpless, so used, and so broken. "Even though I have a hard time saying it, Naruto, **I love you**."

"Sasuke. I don't know what to say." Naruto looked down to the wood floor. "I want to say I feel the same, I want to but...It would just feel skin deep. with Sai...I feel whole."

Sasuke felt getting on his knees to beg. "Naruto! It's not skin deep! I promise."

"Then how come you like taking pictures of me? How come you don't know that what you feel is just...photographer lust?"

Sasuke glared. "I can't believe you think I'm that low!! I love you cause you make me smile and laugh, and make me feel great!!! No that stupid lust shit!!!" Sasuke was screaming, pouring out his emotions like rainfall. He had never done anything like it before, it made him feel so open and exposed.

"Sasuke. I don't have anything else to say but...I might be going back to America sometime. and that you have a poor excuse for love compared to Sai. He takes care of me." Naruto hated saying those words. He had no idea where they came from, but he welcomed them in his mind openly. It all seemed true, but somehow left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Sasuke held his hands in fist, his eye's watering. He hadn't cried since 3rd grade, so he had forgot what it felt like. But the memories flooded back to him quickly. Crying felt like a monsoon had overtaken his mind while a wild rage of hurt went directly to his heart. It was like the pang of glass breaking under his skin. Like an internal gunshot wound.

Sasuke was crushed under the psychological stress. "You..." He said shakily. " Are a complete idiot!" He made sure he screamed it loud enough for the whole house to hear. " I don't want...I don't want" Sasuke paused to let the tears fall and his eyes redden. "I want you to keep away from me!! Moron!!" Sasuke ran out the room, being the social coward he was. He had no other way to respond but in anger. That;s the way his father did everything, and the way he was taught.

When love and hope doesn't prevail, the only thing left is anger.

******************

**WWWOOOHHOOO!! What do you think? Intense, huh? Will Naruto and Sasuke ever make up? Will Naruto go to America?? What about Neji and Gaara!!! OOHHH NNOOEESS!!! . I have a lot more writing to do. * gets out journal full of rough drafts and begins writing* REVIEW PPLS!! YOU KNOW I LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU GUYS HAVEE TO SAY!! I HAVE NOTHING TO DO BUT WRITE!**

**~LOVELY BULLETS**


	12. Alcohol's Plesures and Prince Charming

Gaara peeked is head out his bed room door, to see Sasuke's tear stricken face walking toward him. "Sasuke? What were you screaming about?"

Sasuke just walked past him with no reply. "Sasuke? If you wanna talk...I'm here..." The way Gaara said that made Sasuke stop. It sounded kind, like someone actually cared. Like someone still had a heart in the newly dreadful house. Sasuke walked back and stood in front of Gaara. " thanks." They both walked into Gaara's room, Gaara taking a seat on the bad, Sasuke taking a seat in a chair nearby.

"What's going on?" Gaara shifted in his bed uneasily, looking curiously into Sasuke's droopy eyes.

Sasuke sniffed and hiccupped, dry tears marking his face. " Naruto doesn't love me anymore." Gaara could tell Sasuke was for real, even though the idea of Naruto saying something so brutal was ridiculous, because of Sasuke's red eye's. The only way to get red eyes is to cry, to _really _cry, to _**really**_ cry your eyes out, to _really _sob with sorrow. . Sasuke was actually crying...it made Gaara's head spin.

"Why?" Gaara didn't know if Sasuke wanted to talk about it or not, so he made sure to ask softly.

"**Sai**. He loves **Sai**." Behind his words was boiling anger and broken hurt.

Gaara raised an eyebrow. "Sai?" Even Gaara found that one hard to believe. But then again, he had no idea what was going on in Naruto's strange mind. Maybe Naruto was only attracted to Sasuke because he looked a lot like Sai. Who knows...

Sasuke nodded. "Sai wants him to go back to America with him. He's leaning toward it. Its like he just suddenly...changed his mind. It's...it's horrible." Horrible was just the s

"Oh god... this whole love square thing is a mess. You , Neji, Sai." Gaara had a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Actually it's a love triangle now, count me out. I'm through with them, it hurts too much..."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Gaara said sympathetically.

"You don't have anything to apologize for, you seem like the only sane person left."Sasuke tried to give a little smile.

" I'm far from sane .But thanks anyway." Gaara managed to joke around smile too.

"This is helping, talking about it."

Gaara nodded. "Yes."

Sasuke sighed and took a moment to look all around Gaara's room. It was small and vague. A black desk, a black book self, a black night stand, a black lamp, a black bed with black bed sheets and poetry books on the book shelf. The only sign of any real life in the room, was a single picture of Gaara and Neji when they were little on his night stand. Sasuke could faintly remember Neji telling him that Gaara and him had met when they were little.

"That picture of you and Neji, you like it a lot, huh?" Sasuke was tired of talking about himself.

Gaara's face held a new emotion Sasuke couldn't read. "Yeah. I wish he would realize what's happening."

"What's happening?" Sasuke asked.

"The whole 'I like Naruto now' thing. I just want him to see it's a mistake, and that I've been chasing him this whole time...I just..." Gaara was having a hard time controlling his emotions, so he trailed off.

"_you're _in _love _with **Neji**?" Sasuke can't believe he hadn't noticed. "But Neji has no preference for you at all, why are you so patient?"

"Love is patient. Even if it's painful. You should be patient, Naruto will come back to you, unless destiny decides otherwise." Gaara said this like his mind was silently drifting somewhere far away, a place where Sasuke couldn't get to. A place where everything was numb and quiet. Gaara seemed to drift there a lot.

"Patience." The word seemed to be clogging Sasuke's throat since he was 5. He was never patient. He got what he wanted, when he wanted. His parents taught him how to make a living by doing things fast way, because waiting slowly slips one away from reality and eventually glues them in the distant past. He never had to wait for any of his luxuries, they all just found their way to him. So how can Gaara be telling to wait? It was just plain out of the question for Sasuke.

"I can't wait. Everybody will leave my behind. I'll be living in the past." Sasuke said.

"If the past is better than the present, which would you rather live in?" Gaara's question barraged into Sasuke's mind. If Sasuke waited and just hoped Naruto would choose him over Sai, would it be better than just abandoning Naruto all together?

Sasuke couldn't decide. He now hated that he still loved Naruto. There was no more fine lines, everything was grey and dim, no clear distinction between love and hate or hope and failure. Sasuke glanced at the old picture of Gaara and Neji. "Are you living in the past?"

Gaara's smooth porcelain face became tinted with grim dark humor. "Yep. And I'll keep living there until my hope is sucked dry and Neji is long gone."

"That's really what you want?"

"Yes. But I'd like to know what **you** want."

"I don't what I really want."

"Naruto?"

Sasuke rested his cheek in his palm and closed his tired eyes. "I don't know, I don't know."

Gaara raised his non-existent shaved off eyebrow. "The great Uchiha doesn't know what he wants? Wow."

Sasuke groaned. "Right now I want everything to disappear. "

"**Everything**?" Gaara questioned.

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at Gaara, then gave a faint smile. " No. I think I'd be sad if you disappeared. Your nicer than you appear. Really. I'm thinking of you as more of a friend than a... strange bystander."

Gaara suppressed a laugh to a small grunt . " I guess my personality doesn't match my..." Gaara looked at his all black room and at his gothic attire. "style." He finished.

Sasuke nodded and a gave a content sigh. In a way, he tried to change the mood of the room. " Hey Gaara?"

"Hm?"

Sasuke twisted his lips thoughtfully, thinking before he spoke. " I haven't taken any pictures in a while...and my professor gave us a project...to take pictures of things that are unique... And I was just wondering if..."

"Yes." Gaara said immediately.

"But I didn't ask you to pose for my picture yet..."

"You just did."

"oh. uuuummmm... thanks."

"I'm actually flattered." Gaara said, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"You're the only person I can think of now. I was going to do Naruto but...."

"I'm happy to help." Gaara said.

Sasuke couldn't help but give another smile. Gaara really was a big help.

*************while Gaara and Sasuke are talking Neji is...***************************

Neji crossed his legs on the firm pillow on the wood floor, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to call on the silent blinded spirits of peace. Clearing his own mind was difficult, very difficult considering how loud Sasuke had just screamed at the top of his lungs about 'morons'... Neji had no idea what was going on, and for now, he didn't want to know. He wanted to just stay out of the tangled mess everyone had created.

Neji opened his pale eyes. It was too hard. blocking out problems made them worse. Neji needed someone to talk to.

_Talk to Sasuke? ...No, he's been sort of mad at me....Naruto? No way, who knows what happened between Sai and him... Chouji or Shika? no...they're not even part of any of this, they just keep to themselves....Kiba? Oh yeah, that jerk wad hasn't even come back, who knows where he is... Gaara! It might be awkward but he seemed stable. _

Neji got up and ran to Gaara's cracked bedroom door. He was about to open it till he herd Sasuke's voice. "_You're in love with __**Neji**_**? **But Neji has no preference for you at all, why are you so patient?"

Neji's face went purple and he felt like throwing up. He grimaced. He knew Gaara liked him a bit but love? come on... He listened in closer to Gaara's reply.

"Love is patient. Even if it's painful. You should be patient, Naruto will come back to you, unless destiny decides otherwise." Neji could hear the hurt in Gaara's voice. Had he really been that cruel? Had the lack of attention and affection created this monster called love? It seemed unethical but somehow logical at the same time. Who doesn't want someone to hold them and tell them they're beautiful, or someone to protect them? Neji wanted to apologize a million times, and give Gaara a million hugs, telling him how stupid he had been. He wanted to rewind everything. Because he was sure that if he could rewind, he would treat Gaara like a royalty.

The impact of Gaara's hurt voice hitting Neji's heart like a bullet was almost like a fairy tale. Prince Charming had been chasing around the wrong princess. The real beauty was trapped in black clothing and a shy exterior. The prince was just so infatuated with the wrong princesses beauty that it became all he ever wanted, until he heard the truth.

Now Neji just had to figure out how to make up for all of the lost time. He ran back to his room in shock, so he could have an open space to think.

His only option now, to rewind.

**************************************

Tornadoes of changing feelings turned in Naruto's heart. He couldn't stop the constant howl of wind. The uncertainty of what to next was killing. Right and wrong was all the same now. He laid on his bed for hours and hours, having no real progress if his decision was a good one.

_That was horrible...what I did to Sasuke... It's 11pm and I still feel bad. _

The sound of Naruto's hyper sounding cell ringtone came to life. He flipped open the cell.

"Hey. It's Sai."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Sai!! Oh Ummm..."

"you don't have to decide so soon, I was wondering if you wanted to go out!! You know... check out London's party scene."

Naruto laughed. He had almost forgot how wild is was to go to a party with Sai. It was spectacular." Oh yeah. Sounds like fun. When can you pick me up?"

"Look out you window!"

Naruto gave a quizzical look to himself before he opened his bedroom window. Sai was below on the side walk, waving like a manic, giving the widest smile Naruto had ever seen. "Naruto! Down here!"

Naruto gaped in amazement. "Well, hello!"

"What are you waiting for?" Sai screamed up to him.

Naruto laughed. "coming!"

He ran down the stairs, letting his white vans clunk on the antique wood loudly. He didn't care if Sasuke knew he was going out with Sai. He actually wanted him to know. It was time to release all of the stress Naruto had been bottling up.

Naruto ran outside to greet Sai with a big hug...or more like glomp. Sai swayed backwards trying to reestablish his balance with the hysterical blond on top of him. Naruto finally let go.

"So...where are we of to this fine evening" Naruto teased sarcastically.

"Where ever you want." Sai insisted.

"Oh, anything will do, I haven't been to a club in a lllooooonnngggg time."

"Hell yeah. Neither have I."

"Club it is?"

"Yep. Club it is."

And with that Naruto and Sai climbed into Sai's cheap rental car and sped off.

*********************************************

The laser show of neon lights was almost blinding, but Sai seemed to love it. Strippers hanged on poles like they were glued there, money stuffed in their underwear, swirling in crazy positions that people wooted and screamed for.

Naruto was seated by Sai at the bar. "Can I buy y-y-you another a dri-i-nk?" Sai tipsily asked.

Naruto, already half drunk gave a loud obnoxious giggle. "HELL YEAH!!!! SERVE IT UP!! WWWOOO!!" He swung his arm around Sai's neck, bringing him in close, his alcohol scented breath hitting Sai's face. "Ya know... you" Naruto took a moment to stop rocking back and forth. "you...wait...what was I saying?" He squinted his eye's, like it would help his memory lapse.

"you were saying how **HOT** I am!!!" Sai's voice was sloppy, vowels and slurred together like nonsense. He rubbed his face on Naruto's, bringing friction between their skin. "Can I...can I lick your face...It is SO SOFT!!!" Sai was past the point of common sense as he looked at Naruto for a reply.

Naruto gave a small shurg. "Whatever turns you on."

"YYYYYAAAAAYYYY!!!" Sai pressed his tong to Naruto's face and licked it.

Naruto giggled. "That was horny Sai!! Bad bbbooooyyyy!!"

"Hhahahahahahahaa. You know me!!" Sai rocked his shoulders back and forth, bouncing around like a little boy.

Suddenly Sai was tapped on the shoulder. He turned around. It was a group of 3 drunk girls with way too short topless dressed and 6 inch Prada heels. The girl that tapped Sai on the shoulder had pink hair and had trouble standing as she spoke "Yo...you fine man!! I'm Sa-Saukra. And these my home girls, Ten-ten And Ino!! Wanna hang??!" She pointed to the two girls behind her, one blond and one brunette.

"Why not!!" Sai held up his shot glass like a toast and tipped his head back, taking it all in. "Naruto, make room for the ladies!!" Naruto, who was now in his own world, laughed and ran over to sit on Sai's lap. Sai licked his lips, staring at Naruto. "Your real sexy. anyone tell you that?"

Naruto hummed to himself contently before answering. "Well...nope!!"

Sai licked Naruto's face again. "Well...your real sexy."

"heehee...this licking thing is fun, is it some kind of fetish?! I like fetishes!!" Naruto's face was already flushed and pink.

Sakura held up her shot glass. "I LOVE fetishes too! Especially foot fetishes, that's hot."

Everyone howled in agreement.

"Hey, do any of you want to-to dance?" Sai gave a energetic smile.

"Me! Me! Me! Pick Me!!!" Naruto yelled as he waved his arms high in the air. Sakura and the blond girl, Ino, jumped with excitement, Ten-ten, who was seemingly sober when drunk, shrugged and denied the dance.

"Come on, Naruto!! And ladies!!" Sai took hold of Naruto's hand and dragged him out to the dance floor of a sea of people.

Hips slid side to side as Sai wrapped his hands on Naruto's waist behind him. Naruto reached backwards and wrapped his arms around Sai's neck, making sure Sai saw every bit of lust in his eyes.

Ten-ten hollered a small distance away at the bar. She held a cheap old Polaroid camera in her hands. (A/N: No, this Polaroid is not Sasuke's.) She giggled as the camera flashed, catching every moment of Naruto and Sai. " WWWWwwwwwwwwwooooo!! Haha. Damn, you guys sure can grind*... I love taking pictures at clubs!! That's how I know what I did that night when I wake up hammered..."

Sai didn't realize it, but they _were_ grinding...

Naruto then turned around rapidly and took hold of Sai's head, twisting his fingers in and out his smooth black hair. Their foreheads touched, and even as Ten-ten's camera flashed, it seemed like a total moment in ecstasy. Naruto couldn't hold it in any longer. As a drunk, he could never keep anything concealed, everything just poured out in one big pile of emotions.

Naruto crashed his lips onto Sai's, moaning loudly, remembering the taste of Sai's welcoming mouth, and recalling what it was like to want something so badly it hurt. They let go, but the next moment Sai had Naruto pinned to the wall. Sai looked down on Naruto, who was out of breath and gazing up at him like he was delusion. "Naruto..." Sai spoke. "You know I love you right?"

Naruto gave a smirk. "yeah I love me too..." He said jokingly. He went in for another kiss, but Sai stopped him.

"Naruto...I just really want you to know that." Sai seemed too serious for a drunk, but somehow he held it all together.

Naruto nodded. "Yes. And I love you too." He ran his finger tips on Sai's cheek, while anticipating the next kiss.

"you- you love me too?! Too bad I won't remember this!!!" Sai exclaimed.

Naruto smiled once more. "Well, I think I can make tonight really memorable..." He ran his finger tips from Sai's cheek, and down his chest, but stopped at his navel.

"Naruto, your such a tease!"

"Wait." Naruto was close now, their lips inches away. Naruto's single word emerging from his soft lips. **Wait**. Naruto rarely used his husky tone of voice like he just did. It was a voice Sai barely knew, it was a Naruto he barely knew. A Naruto that was wild and rabid and took tough love to a whole different level. Sai knew that tone of voice, Sai knew what he was in for...and he couldn't wait.

***************************************

**Me: BBBBBWWWUUHHHHAAAHHAAA!!! I'm so evil, making a cliff hanger like that. **

**Sai: Yeah, what's the deal with that?!! It was just getting good!! **

**Naruto: yeah!! you were starting to make it all steamy, what happened??!! * Puts on pouty face***

**Me: Well...I just thought it would be fun to make my readers mad ( SORYY!!) **

**Sai: What kind of excuse is that? I was about to get lucky, if you know what I mean...**

**Naruto:... *blushing madly***

**Me: Well...you'll just have to wait, Sai. **

**Sai: come on... I can get Sasuke to take his shirt off for you... Won't that get you motivated to write some more Yaoi-goodness to this chapter?? **

**Naruto: Sai, Sasuke hates you.**

**Sai: So? I can still get him to take his shirt off. Anyway, How about, Lovely Bullets?**

**Me: Uuuuuuuhhhh... That does sound like a really good offer but...Well, Sasuke is pretty sexy....but....**

**Naruto: Make up your mind!!!**

**Me: Alright! Alright! No. **

**Sai: *IN SHOCK* YOU TURNED DOWN A SHIRTLESS SASUKE!!!?? **

**Me: Yep...you, just like everyone else, will have to wait. *gives cheesy smile* **

**Naruto and Sai: *Groan* Damn it. **


	13. AUTHOR NOTE

Hello.

I just wanted to let you know that I will not be continuing Skin Deep. I just realized that I was sort of getting bored with it and I have no more ideas left. I'm just tired of hanging on to it. Maybe I'll pick it up again someday, I don't know.

Thank you for reading!! This was a great way to be introduced into Fanfiction!!! I think I can do much better now that I know how this all works so...please, wait for my next Sasunaru story! I promise you it will be at least 2x better. :-)

Domo arigatou,

**LOVELY BULLETS**


End file.
